


Subliminal Advertising

by Kalee60



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe, Bottom Bucky Barnes, Bucky is thirsty, Darcy Lewis Is a Good Bro, Explicit Sexual Content, Idiots in Love, M/M, Meet-Cute, Misunderstandings, POV Bucky Barnes, Personal Trainer Steve Rogers, Puns & Word Play, Tongue Tied Bucky, Top Steve Rogers, Writer Bucky Barnes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-27
Updated: 2020-06-27
Packaged: 2021-03-03 21:53:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 22,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24952618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kalee60/pseuds/Kalee60
Summary: Bucky is a walking disaster when it comes to gorgeous men. He stumbles over words, says inane things and makes a bit of an idiot of himself. So when he sees the most glorious man in all existence helping a little old lady out at his local supermarket, he knows there is no way he can string a sentence together and look smooth (considering he's a train wreck in disguise).Cue an impromptu photo opportunity with a well placed product, that in turn somehow begins a pun laden photo game as Bucky starts to bump into the breathtaking man on the regular while shopping. Who’d have thought so many mundane advertisements were so suggestive?So with a little help from his meddling best friend, a lot of misunderstandings and a crush the size of the Empire State Building, can Bucky find enough courage to ask out the man who hopefully, will 'melt in his mouth, not in his hand?'
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 131
Kudos: 661
Collections: Bucky Barnes Bingo 2020





	Subliminal Advertising

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome to this absolute ridiculous story which ballooned from it's humble short fic status to a bit of a mouthful (pun not intended this time ;) ) I always try my best to write small stories, but sometimes these boys just have much more to say than I anticipated.
> 
> This came about from an actual visit to the supermarket when I not so proudly caught myself staring at a very nice looking man who may have had a wonderful shoulder to waist ratio that made me think of Steve... of course my brain immediately went into writing mode and my poor best friend (thanks darter for the assist once again) suddenly was inundated with text messages on a fic idea using puns around the shop...
> 
> So therefore a huge thanks to [ darter_blue](https://archiveofourown.org/users/darter_blue/pseuds/darter_blue) for wrestling this into something readable and to curb my more ludicrous puns!
> 
> *This fic also happens to cover one of my Bucky Barnes Bingo fills: K2 - Kink: “Harder.”
> 
> Enjoy! <3

Bucky bit back a groan as he entered the supermarket, barely concealing his frustration at the hoards of people carrying out their food shopping. He checked his watch, _great,_ he'd hit the after work crowd - why didn't he look at the time before leaving home? 

He shouldn’t complain (but he will) mainly as he'd now become one of them; joined their ranks - surly, unsmiling and jostling each other with bared teeth for the last stick of butter, which had happened two weeks previously with a frazzled mom, Bucky relinquished his prize, she looked like she needed it more. There was something almost visceral in his hatred for food shopping, and generally he avoided the peak time of day like the plague, not relishing having to parkour through the store to get bread, milk and chocolate, the three staples of his diet. 

Unfortunately, he’d been too lazy to shop the evening before after a late night binge of the show he'd been watching became so enthralling he’d not gone to bed until three in the morning. Bucky was ignoring the fact it was on a streaming service and he wouldn't have _actually_ missed any of it, all he had to do was hit pause. But that was not the point, the point was, he’d missed his window and now he was shoulder to shoulder with people whose frowns rivalled his own.

The tried and tested sweet spot to visit his local supermarket was eleven at night, and that’s when he usually ventured out. His job as a relatively successful novelist writing the Winter Soldier series was flexible and therefore he could pick and choose when he graced the public with his presence, but he had games night with the crew that evening, hence, he was out during ‘Satan’s hour’. 

It was his own fault, but he could still grumble.

“Excuse me, ma’am.” He asked politely for the third time, the lady in question still reading the back of two different vanilla cookie packets, obviously looking for the healthiest option. Bucky wanted to tell her to live on the wild side and buy them both. He didn’t. Instead he asked her for a fourth time to move.

With no movement forthcoming, he had no choice but to reach around her, grabbing the chocolate covered fudge cookies of which he didn’t _want_ to know how much sugar they contained. Sam would kill him if they weren’t on the snack agenda. He apparently couldn’t play Catan without the correct brain food; Sam was a bit of a loose cannon unchoclified. The woman startled and glared at him like he’d committed an atrocity against humankind, huffing before putting both packets in her basket. _Atta girl._

Bucky then made his way towards the deli to obtain cold cuts and some soft cheeses, raising his basket over childrens heads as he went, spinning delicately to avoid crashing into a man who wasn’t looking where his trolley was careening and side-stepping a couple who were much more embarrased about buying condoms than they should be - safe sex _was_ sexy after all.

It was as Bucky approached the counter his phone rang, the ringtone alerting him to exactly who was calling, he almost didn’t answer. “I won’t forget the pretzels and m&m’s - you have no faith in me.”

“Barnes, you _always_ forget something - so I’m shopping with you.” Darcy replied matter of fact as Bucky pointed into the cabinet, asking politely for some pastrami, ham and hot salami for the platter he was creating.

“You could actually be a help and come down here, we live a block away.” Bucky smiled at the deli server and thanked them for the meat, and ignored Darcy’s scoff as she mimicked him.

“Do you thank everyone for their meat like that? Could be why you’re single. Plus shopping at this time of day sucks balls.”

“ _I know_.” Bucky replied, implying heavily he understood her sentiment. “You could still help since you’re co-hosting tonight.”

Darcy hummed noncommittally, and Bucky could hear her playing the XBox in the background. 

They’d been friends for five years, having met the day _after_ Bucky moved in next door. He’d picked up a one night stand incredibly drunk on his first night there, a guy who proceeded to almost screw him through the wall - Darcy’s wall. She’d arrived early the next morning after the nameless guy had departed, brandishing two hot coffees, an egg and bacon roll, paracetamol and a recording of his loud sex noises, before sitting on the lounge like she owned the place and asked him how much his ass hurt. Bucky fell in deep platonic love.

Sighing as he inspected the French baguettes with a critical eye, he knew life would be infinitely easier if he were straight and could date Darcy - but alas, he liked to be dicked down on the regular. Only lately it was the _regular_ part he couldn’t quite achieve. He grabbed two bread sticks he hoped Darcy wouldn’t immediately turn into lightsabers and kept shopping.

“So... many people out?”

“Don’t be a bitch. You _know_ how fucking unbelievable this time of day is.” He shot an apologetic look towards an older lady who glanced at him sharply at his cuss words. If only she knew how much he _actually_ swore, her hair would turn an even deeper shade of blue than it already was.

Rounding the next corner as he ignored Darcy’s laugh, he looked up and just about dropped his basket, then almost dropped to his knees straight after - because the guy at the end of the aisle could not actually exist outside of movies or questionable magazines. 

The man was reaching up to the top shelf to grasp something for a little old lady (come on sweetheart, she was asking on purpose if her lit up eyes were any indication {he didn’t blame her}) before passing it down. His t-shirt strained against glorious back muscles as he spoke softly to the lady, whatever he said making her beam. He was tall, taller than Bucky, which did all kinds of things for him, blonde hair peeked out under a well worn baseball cap, and as Bucky’s gaze slid down, and down, his mouth went drier than the time he fell asleep with it open for fifteen hours straight. Because that was the middle ground he couldn’t drag his gaze from, the denim clad thighs that screamed they could hold Bucky’s weight against a wall - Darcy’s wall obviously.

Fate was against him as Bucky didn’t quite catch the guy’s face from the front, just a glimpse of side profile but - _Jesus_ , for all things sacred in the world; he was the most delectable and built, _really_ built man Bucky had seen in an age. He wanted to climb this stranger, not like a tree, but like the damn pyramids, going up and up, getting sweatier by the yard, puffing and panting and -

“- are you having an asthma attack?” Darcy’s voice cut through his cascading inappropriate thoughts.

“Wha-?”

“You stopped talking suddenly and your breathing went crazy, I also heard three people ask you to move. I am _not_ coming down. But, I can be concerned from afar.”

“Thanks.” Bucky deadpanned, feeling a flush hit his cheeks, as he’d not heard any other shoppers asking him to move. It was concerning he’d been so out of it and he needed to find the man again, just to see if he was real or a mirage. “There was a guy.”

“Take a picture.” 

“I can’t.”

“Why not? A reaction like that, means he's not the usual run-of-the-mill hottie.”

“You honestly have _no_ idea. But no, no photo, because that’s like breaking every rule about privacy and consent, plus it’s creepy.”

“Okay, no face then. But you have to send me _something_.” Darcy cajoled, pausing her game and Bucky heard her sit up straight, she was getting serious.

“No I don’t.”

“Uh, _yes,_ you do, because, A, you’ve never reacted like that to seeing a guy before, well not in public anyway. And B, I’m your best friend and we share everything.”

“Not everything.” Bucky retorted as he walked over another aisle, which did not hold The Man.

“We share the same taste in guys, a blessing and a curse. Plus this guy might be into ladies _and_ men - we could have that threesome we always talk about.”

“Darcy, no, plus that’s something _you_ always talk about.” He snuck around the next corner, only to be confronted with the adonis again, who was reading the back of a shampoo bottle. Bucky couldn’t help wonder if he’d like his own longish dark hair, would like to pull it while - 

“- you with me hotshot?” Darcy interrupted again, and damn he was distractible. But...

“Yeah, I’m okay,” The man didn’t seem to notice him loitering at the far end, but he still whispered quietly into the speaker, “seriously his shoulder to waist ratio is insane.”

“Dorito, hey?”

“What? You want me to pick some up?”

“Don’t be obtuse - pic or he doesn’t exist.”

“I’m definitely getting corn chips now, and you know I hate that ridiculous description. But in this case - yeah, it works. Shit, he even seems like a really nice guy, a double threat.” Bucky looked in his basket, laughing at what caught his eye and suddenly inspiration hit, even though he shouldn’t do the thing. 

He did the thing.

“Why are you laughing?” Darcy questioned, sounding intrigued.

“Check your messages after. I just sent you a photo.”

“No way - I’ll check now.”

Bucky couldn’t help let out a loud delighted laugh at Darcy’s reaction to the photo. Her choking noises, not faked at all. He had to admit it was a brilliant shot, not creepy, well - not _really_ as it didn’t show the man’s face, which Bucky still hadn’t seen properly. The man had selected his shampoo of choice and had left by the time Bucky looked his way, so he took that extra second to glance back down at the photo he’d sent to Darcy.

It captured the man as he’d turned his back to the camera, the reason Bucky took it in the first place, because privacy was a real thing, but in the foreground, he’d held up a packet of cornchips which had the words ‘Hot & Spicy’ written in flames across the front. It was apt and fit the playful tone he was trying to achieve perfectly.

“Buck, if you don’t get his number for either of us, then you’re disowned and struck from the register of gay men _and_ wing men. He’s built like a damn superhero. Those shoulders...” She trailed off and he agreed - those shoulders _were_ something.

“Well, he’s at the checkout now, and I still have to get a few things,” he replied, ignoring the pang in his gut that in a city as large as New York, he would never, ever see this man again. “So, guess you won’t make it to games night tonight if you’ve disowned me.”

“You’re not that lucky - don’t forget the pretzels.” She hung up.

Bucky pocketed his phone and headed back to the aisle where the lube was kept, having an idea he’d be in the mood to jerk off a little more. While there, he eyed the jumbo pack of condoms which were on special, but he still had an unopened pack in his bedside drawer from months ago. And as he picked up the warming lube, idly wondered if he should head out and get laid soon, daydreaming of large shoulders and being manhandled by a huge blonde. 

Yeah, he really should.

He also forgot the pretzels.

  
  


The next few visits to the shop may have excited Bucky in a way food selection shouldn’t, but as he’d feared, he didn’t see the perfect specimen of man again. To be fair though, eleven at night wasn’t prime time to see anyone, let alone the star of his most recent fantasies. But he enjoyed the silence, the solitude of selecting items without being shoved, so he wasn’t going to change his routine, plus there was no way the man built to give Bucky a ‘Complete Ass Pounding’, who Darcy, Sam and Natasha unanimously dubbed as CAP, lived in the area.

But then he was forced out at ‘Satan’s hour’ again, because Darcy was working late and asked him to go to the shops to get food for dinner, which was her code for ‘you’ll be cooking’. She was as transparent as plastic wrap.

So Bucky found himself in the deli section, battling against people in power suits trying to purchase chicken fillets (which were half price). Usually he would have given up and grabbed something else to make his life easier, except it really _was_ a good deal. Plus he was planning on making Thai green curry.

It was as the tired and frustrated deli server waved him forward that he almost lost his train of thought due to catching a glimpse out the corner of his eye of a large figure, a very broad and _familiar_ muscular figure. Bucky practically yelled his order out and when she flinched, gave a sheepish apologetic smile that hopefully made him look contrite. Thankfully she smiled in return, grabbing his order quickly and efficiently and he was out of the crowd in seconds, speed walking towards the aisle he’d seen the huge man disappear down.

Knowing he really should get out more, or at least reinstall Grindr, Bucky stopped in his tracks at the sight before him; pulling his phone from his pocket without conscious thought to send a chat to Darcy.

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** Damn it woman, CAP is here. he picked a taco kit up from the bottom shelf. RIGHT BEFORE ME.

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** I have to sit down, all the blood just rushed to my dick. Fuck… those glutes

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** RIP me

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **Photo - now!!!!!!!

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** Don’t want to be a creep but - give me a sec

Bucky, for all of his protestations of not being a stalker who took unsanctioned photos in supermarkets of hot guys who had no idea that their photo was being taken - took a photo. Once more CAP’s back was turned, so at least Bucky wasn’t being too obvious, plus he focussed on the product and blurred everything in the background; you could see the outline of a body, but not _who_ it was. Darcy knew though, and that’s all that mattered.

The look he received from a young guy who walked past and clearly saw Bucky’s not so sneaky snap made him jump, and burning bright red in embarrassment he fled, rushing to the end of the shop to hide like a troll with the toilet paper, never to come out. 

But he still sent the photo to Darcy.

This time he’d pulled out a tub of yoghurt from his basket with the swirling words ‘Thick & Creamy’ written across the front to hold in the foreground. He was going to hell. There was a special spot reserved for people who breached privacy with a smattering of bad sexually related food puns. 

A line of cry laughing faces and the water droplet emojis from Darcy filled the screen of his phone. He couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Uh, excuse me.” A deep velvety voice spoke unexpectedly close to him.

Bucky looked up to apologise for standing in the way whilst laughing like a dork, when his eyes landed on the one man who could make his dick twitch from afar, and also stand to attention a yard away apparently. Bucky jerked his basket to the front of his body.

CAP wasn’t wearing a hat today and Bucky could see the natural blonde highlights running through slightly coiffed hair, the dark blonde beard complimentary in a way that elicited horribly vivid pictures of treating beard burn between the cheeks of his ass, and the slightly crooked nose adorably imperfect on the most perfect face known to human existence.

This man was not even in Bucky’s stratosphere, let alone league.

“Tacos.” Bucky shouted as his eyes focussed on the huge chest in front of him.

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

“What?” The man asked, screwing his nose up in question, one eyebrow rising slowly, like Bucky was touched in the head - which he was, he was an absolute idiot. “Tacos?”

There was nothing for it, he had to commit to his outburst, otherwise look like a stark raving mad-man who walked around the supermarket yelling random products at people. He kind of wanted to go down that pathway though, yell ‘garlic’ at the next person to walk by. But, no one was in the aisle to save him.

“Oh, sorry. I almost forgot to get tacos for dinner. The toilet paper reminded me.”

_What the hell?_ How was that better? Now it made him look like he had a bowel problem when he ate mexican food. He glanced round hoping for someone to put him out of his misery. Still no one came.

“Right…” CAP drew out, and Bucky couldn’t figure out the look on his face. Pity. Maybe? Amusement. Potentially? He was definitely not overcome with lust, even though Bucky had taken particular care with his messy bun and tight jeans in the slight hope he might run into him again. 

“Can I just...?” He reached out and Bucky realised like a dope he hadn’t moved and CAP was trying to get something from behind him. Up close, Bucky could see the slight pinkness spreading across CAP’s cheeks, knowing his own face was a deep beetroot colour.

“Oh shit, right.” Bucky finally said as he’d _still_ not moved. Mortified, he sidestepped then threw an embarrassed, ‘sorry’ over his shoulder - scuttling out of there quickly. Shame nipping at his heels.

“Aisle four.” 

“Sorry?” Bucky stopped mid-stride, managing to look back over his shoulder without screaming something inane like ‘your face is hot, can I sit on it?’

“The taco kits are in aisle four.”

“Oh,” Bucky managed to breath out, “err, thanks.”

He then saluted - another what the fuck moment, and left the bemused man behind.

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** <image4235><image4236><image4237><image4238>

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **Why are you sending me screenshots of rental properties in New Zealand?

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** Because I’m moving

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** tonight.

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **????

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** By the way - tacos for dinner

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **What happened to Thai curry :(

Bucky didn’t reply; wasn’t sure how to explain how his brain just exploded in his skull from just a few short words to a man who should be featured in Men’s Health (and now in his fantasies, that voice…) He ducked down aisle four like a superspy and managed to escape the store before running into CAP again. 

He was still scrolling through rental properties into the early hours of the morning, feeling like the biggest dunce and reliving how shameful his part of the interaction was. 

The chicken tacos were delicious though.

  
  


“So you didn’t ask him what kind of _meat_ he liked then?”

Bucky threw a cushion at Darcy’s head, who caught it midair then slid it behind her back in one swift impressive movement, arranging herself in an even more comfortable position on the sofa. He was trying to get her to leave, not settle in.

“Yes, I did actually. After I yelled ‘taco’ an inch from his face, I segwayed into the benefits of bratwurst versus sausage.”

“I’m proud of you. And what was CAP's response? What does he prefer?” Darcy asked with a sarcastic smile.

“He mentioned he wasn't a meatist, shrugged his unfairly massive shoulders, broke into song, and dipped me backwards like he was Fred Astaire, before tapdancing out of the store.”

“Brilliant, good story, is that in the new novel?”

Bucky laughed, “Honestly, I think the Winter Soldier could use a little fluff in his life, it’s been all killing, brain washing, escaping and trying to claw back his identity lately.” 

Except, even though Darcy was teasing him, something about it resonated. Maybe he could write a dream sequence somewhere with a little more humour, he was certain his readers would lap it up, he was always getting fan mail asking, no, _pleading_ with him to make the Soldier softer. Though to be fair, his readers actually had no idea what was in store for them. Bucky was about to commence a storyline where the Winter Soldier’s childhood best friend and former crush comes back into his life, but as a perceived enemy. It was (hopefully) going to be epic. 

“You with me?” Darcy asked with a snap of her fingers as a knowing smile spread. “Need me to make some grilled cheese and pickles while you write down the storylines floating around in your head?”

Grinning in return, Bucky kissed her on the forehead with a smack, “you’re the worst,” which was code for telling Darcy he loved her, she got funny with affection. Something he’d learned early on.

“Least I’m not brat _wurst.”_

“No. Just no.”

“What? You can’t be the only one with terrible puns. Mine just don’t have a hot built-like-a-truck man in the background.”

Bucky shook his head in amusement, already grabbing his trusty Batman notebook to outline some ideas. Ten minutes later the smell of grilled cheese shook him from his constant stream of writing. He was fine, better than, really - he had his best friend beside him, an amazing job he loved, a brilliant group of peers and didn’t need any complications - even if they _could_ manhandle him in the bedroom (and out) easily. And what an image that provoked. The very image he was trying to squash down.

It was as he scribbled down plot lines, he suddenly knew what the Winter Soldiers childhood friends moniker would be… CAP. Captain something.

Darcy was going to wet herself.

  
  


Thankfully, Bucky didn’t run into CAP again for a couple of weeks, and by the time he did see him, he was almost over his mortification. Almost. 

He’d rounded the corner to buy a large bottle of soda, having a hankering for a new coffee flavoured cola he’d found, when he face-planted into a huge solid shoulder.

“Oh, christ - sorry man,” he started, then actually looked up at who he’d run into. Bucky let out a resigned sigh, not at all surprised he’d once again ended up looking like a dork with no spacial awareness in front of this man. “I didn’t see you there, I mean I should have, but clearly didn’t - err, I don’t make it a habit to slam into people choosing soda… I’ll just stop talking now, okay?”

Bucky was going to die. Right there. In that moment. The flames from his cheeks would fan into a full body incineration - he hoped.

The grin forming on CAP's face at Bucky's rush of words made Bucky stop and stare for the longest moment, forgetting all about melting into the cracks of the floor to escape. CAP’s teeth were white, perfect and he wanted to run his tongue along them.

Could he do it sneakily so CAP wouldn’t notice? Probably not. He kind of wanted to try though…

“S’ok, I’m basically at one with the shelving anyway.”

Bucky frowned, then nodded like a dope when he finally understood what he’d meant. CAP was wearing a very bright red fleece, which actually _did_ match the red on the array of bottles behind him. It was a cute thing to say and Bucky felt a little more off kilter, this man was borderline perfect.

“Not going to lie, pal. You’re hard to miss, with all of this going on.”

Now it was CAP’s turn to frown with a puzzled expression at the blurted words, and Bucky could not believe what had just passed through his lips, nor the fact he was gesturing in CAP's general direction like he was a very delectable prize on the Price is Right. 

“Oh, right.”

“Yeah - err, I should…” Bucky finally finished his gesture at Steve and turned it into one which encompassed the entire aisle, certain he now just looked high - or drunk. He just needed to get away from CAP with the perfect smile, teeth and voice before he lost the last vestiges of his manhood, and his game. Bucky was certain his game was sitting shamefully in the car looking up ways to disassociate from him.

“Sure, sorry to have kept you. Have a good night.” CAP said quickly, with a hint of a soft sigh and something else he couldn’t quite place, and Bucky just gave a nod and a smile in return, but didn’t move.

_Move, you idiot - move!_

In the end it was CAP who quirked an eyebrow as Bucky stood next to him, patently not moving, then eventually with a small fond chuckle slowly turned to walk away. It was at that point Bucky’s blood stopped roaring in his ears and he came back into himself - what the hell just happened?

Bucky stared longingly at CAP’s back as he walked away, then saw a huge display for lemonade with the slogan ‘Obey your thirst’ written in bold. He couldn’t help it, he snapped off a photo of the slogan, but this time didn’t capture CAP in it, and sent it to Darcy without a second thought.

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** <image4312> Guess who’s here? I suddenly have a kink to get on my knees and obey 

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **Boy... you were born that way, you’re not telling me anything shocking.

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **No photo? :(

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** **¯\\_(ツ)_/¯** wasn’t feeling it

Darcy wasn’t wrong about his natural state to obey as he pocketed his phone and grabbed a bottle off the display, coffee cola forgotten because he suddenly had a thirst only lemonade would slake. Bucky even managed to give a non-serial killer nod of goodbye as a smiling CAP caught his eye when he finished at the checkout.

Maybe his game had slunk back in from the cold. 

As he tripped over a small square of raised linoleum on the way out, knowing CAP saw, he resigned himself to never having sex again in his life.

Over the course of three weeks, Bucky became a reluctant regular at the shops, yet he always looked his best whilst buying milk, something the checkout operator even commented on. The enthusiastic ‘you’re looking great lately’, made Bucky wonder exactly how awful he usually presented when shopping, and also slightly taken aback that people actually noticed him. What was he wearing the first few times he saw CAP? Hopefully he’d brushed his hair at least. It didn’t bare thinking about, he knew he would have been a walking disaster.

The reason he was now a ‘regular’ at the store, was due to the fact Darcy had sprained her ankle while doing the hokey pokey with a bunch of drunk grad students at their favourite Irish bar, and now he was at her beck and call and was strongly thinking about moving apartments again. Just disappearing in the night with a Dear John note on his door for her to discover. But he was ultimately lazy and it probably was easier to visit the shops every twenty minutes when she thought of something else she craved.

But on the plus side, he’d seen CAP on four of his visits, each time smiling with a quick nod as they passed the other down an aisle, or if he was lucky a few spoken words filled the space between them. Well, CAP said more than a few words, Bucky rasped only one. That’s all he could manage. 

One word - hello.

Somehow the large stunning man had stolen his voice and the ability to say anything normal _and_ at a respectable decibel. He wasn’t usually so awkward, well he liked to think he wasn’t. 

He’d be the first to admit he’d become more than comfortable with his quiet mundane existence, probably too much so, and conversing only with the people he knew probably didn’t help. Darcy liked to say he was an introvert, and to a degree, he was, but he truly enjoyed meeting new people and finding out snippets of their lives, though she’d accused him more than once of only branching out to further his storylines and to do character studies. She wasn’t wrong.

Hence, on the odd occasion, he found it hard to put himself out there. Especially when that person was built like every fantasy Bucky had of the ideal man. 

Bucky was completely tongue tied.

It did strike him as strange that he’d been bumping into CAP on a semi-regular basis; Brooklyn wasn’t the smallest burrough and there were delis and markets everywhere, but it seemed more often than not they were in the same space. Even stranger, Bucky only managed to get to the shops inconsistently, always different days or times, the only common factor was location. 

Of course this meant that the writer in him started to create scenarios and daydreams that CAP was waiting around the corner for Bucky to enter the store, before nonchalantly waltzing in - just to interact and observe Bucky nodding awkwardly while smiling toothily, like a beaver, in his general direction. 

_Yeah_ , CAP was _not_ waiting for his dumb ass to arrive. But it was a nice fantasy.

In the end, because CAP was now a semi-regular part of Bucky’s outings, he was borderline obsessed with capturing bad puns with products which sounded or looked dirty, but were not. Trust Bucky to twist something as sweet as, ‘taste the rainbow’ into a filthy photo set sent to Darcy. He no longer took photos with CAP in the background, as the more they ran into each other and the friendlier they had become, the less it was a joke and felt invasive rather than off-the-cuff funny. Darcy still understood the references though, and knew when he sent a photo, it meant CAP was in the store. 

Bucky was also at the point of really needing to head out for a night and pick up. His libido was through the roof, and although he couldn’t squarely lay it at CAP’s feet - he _was_ a part of the problem. Ridiculously good looking men, who were kind to others and could bench press him without breaking a sweat were suddenly a _huge_ kink. He knew Darcy would kill him if he went clubbing without her, but if he didn’t do something soon he’d be arrested for indecently taking pictures of products in a supermarket.

But the photos he’d sent Darcy lately were, in his opinion, more about the laugh and not about trying to creep on CAP. 

Darcy’s personal favourites were the cucumber with no context, the bag of fresh noodles which proclaimed to be ‘Long & Fat’ and the coffee boldly stating ‘good to the last drop’. He was proud of that last one, even if it left his mouth watering as he watched CAP turn the corner, then almost died when he’d spun and caught Bucky’s eye. Thankfully CAP appeared just as shocked at the fact they’d locked gazes.

So Bucky was back at the store, standing in front of the bread rolls trying to work out if a six pack or a twelve pack would be the better buy, when his hand met another as he went to grab the last of the larger bags.

He immediately released the rolls when he realised another person had also grasped them, but of course they’d backed off too and the bag fell to the ground with a soft plop, thankfully still in their packaging. Bucky bent down to retrieve them, and his head smacked hard into another solid one, they’d clearly had the same idea.

Rubbing his forehead with a self-deprecating laugh he looked up, ‘seriously, I am such a klutz, sorry I...”

Bucky trailed off as his eyes met sparkling bright blue ones, and he stopped breathing.

“I’m just gonna…” CAP gestured to the rolls on the ground and Bucky managed a jerky nod, senses going into overdrive at their closeness and seeing those baby blues in technicolour.

Watching CAP as he bent down to pick up the fallen package, was near to a religious experience. His already snug jeans tightened even more over tree-trunk sized thighs, the t-shirt strained across a back so broad Bucky felt compelled to fall onto it and thankfully before his instinct to reach out and _touch_ came to fruition, CAP was upright again. Bucky’s fingers twitched, tempted to wipe across his chin, in case he’d actually drooled without realising. Before he could check the state of his face, the giant, perfect man held out the rolls like a gallant knight of the round table, offering them as a noble sacrifice. 

How could that small gesture make Bucky feel like a damsel ready to swoon? 

It was just bread. Bread.

“Oh, no - you can have them,” Bucky finally said to the proffered food, gaze catching on the veins popping from CAP’s forearms as he reached forward, and talking was going to be a struggle as he unscrambled his brain. God this man was gorgeous. He watched fascinated as CAP’s face transformed with a wide happy grin before shaking his head.

“No, seriously the smaller pack is plenty - it’s just me at home. Plus I don’t want to take the food you were buying for your family.”

If Bucky didn’t know any better, he would think CAP was fishing for information, which was ludicrous. But it didn’t stop him from quickly clarifying, “Oh, no it’s just Darcy and I, so we can totally work with the smaller pack.”

The small frown which appeared between CAP’s brows smoothed out within a second and if Bucky hadn’t been staring intently, he would have missed the reaction. Even then, he had no context as to _why_ CAP would frown at him wanting to take the smaller bag. Bucky was being polite, as it was obvious the man needed a high calorie intake, those muscles didn’t come from sitting on a couch writing about an ex-assassin integrating back into life. Which begged the question, what _did_ CAP do for a living? Bucky wondered how he could find out more about the enigmatic buff man without looking like an idiot. 

The silence continued to stretch between them, the only noise was a rustling from the plastic surrounding the rolls as CAP shifted. It was becoming awkward, and all he had to do was speak up like an adult, an adult who was capable of a full sentence that wasn’t about bread. He knew he could do it. He _was_ an adult after all.

“I’m Bucky,” he blurted and watched as CAP’s lip tilted in a devastating half smile, amused at the situation no doubt. Bucky meanwhile wanted to crawl under the loose lettuce leaves and hide for a bit.

“Steve.” Was the lighthearted reply and Bucky’s stomach picked itself up from his feet and returned to its normal position, although now full of butterflies. Bucky had a name, an actual name. He’d made a move and it didn’t backfire, well, not a _real_ move, but it was monumental for him. Steve (Steve!) was looking at him, head tilted to the side, his smile growing and Bucky had no idea why.

He finally disengaged from the direct stare, only to notice Steve had been holding out his hand to shake for a while, and he felt heat infuse his cheeks. _Jesus_ , he was oblivious. Grabbing Steve’s large firm hand, he shook it more intensely than needed, noticing the strength immediately and the slight callouses which marred the surface. The raised uneven skin rubbed against his palm creating small bursts of desire. It was impossible not to imagine the friction caused if it were wrapped around another part of his body.

“Nice to meet’cha. Properly - I mean. I don’t count all the times I verbally diarrhoead your way…” Bucky’s voice was pitched an octave higher than usual, but Steve didn’t seem to notice his cringe. “And I just said diarrhoea didn’t I?”

“Twice.”

“Fabulous. New record for me.”

Steve’s deep laugh was something Bucky wanted to wrap around his body, then live in forever. It was warm, inviting and elicited sparks down his spine, a sensation he’d not experienced in years. Bucky was so screwed, he wanted this man with every fibre of his being.

“Seriously, take the rolls, pal.” Steve held them out again and Bucky was helpless to deny the sincerity in his eyes and took them reluctantly.

“If you’re sure, I feel like I need to invite you around for a gourmet meal of bread rolls and... uh, some kind of meat?”

_Really?_ Bucky may as well have dropped his pants and presented himself to Steve, just to get his mortification over with. Why his mind never checked in with his mouth on what he should say, was beyond him. He’d not intended to proposition Steve with bread and meat, if it even sounded like a proposition in the first place. He couldn’t tell anymore. His radar wasn’t just offline, it had fallen off the roof, landed behind the tool shed where large spiders lived and on the odd occasion, gave accurate readings when he was absolutely inebriated. But he was not currently drunk and Steve was staring, watching him carefully with the biggest shit-eating grin in existence on his face. If it wasn’t at his expense, Bucky would think it mesmerizing. He still did anyway.

The awkwardness of the words wafted from Bucky, certain he was giving out pheromones that told Steve to run away and never look back.

“I’m actually bummed, because I can’t tonight. I have plans - but I mean gourmet... meat rolls, it's hard to pass up.”

“Are you giving me shit?” Bucky asked with a choked laugh.

“Not sure I know you well enough for that.”

Bucky squinted at him in thought, and delighted in the soft sheen of colour which graced Steve’s cheeks as he continued to stare. He was starting to feel not so ridiculous, plus staring at Steve was a great way to pass time - until a little old lady crashed into Bucky’s thigh with a trolley as she tried to reach over to grab a loaf of bread. He hadn’t even noticed her jostling up for a position, hadn’t actually noticed anyone else in the store at all.

He jerked forward, right into Steve’s space, who didn’t move back like Bucky anticipated, but stayed motionless so that he just about squashed him. The soft oomph of surprise as Bucky landed in his arms (because of course Steve would wrap those huge, strong appendages around him so he’d forever more know what it was like to be in his embrace) soon became a small flustered inhale as Bucky flailed, embarrassed. The old lady grabbed her loaf and was gone in a second, unusually fast in her escape, leaving Bucky face planted into Steve’s chest breathing heavily.

Steve smelt like every good thing in life, the aroma blanketing Bucky until all he _could_ smell was his raw malesness and the slight tang of sweat, like Steve had recently worked out. But the errant thought that he was suddenly in a meat sandwich, as his face was situated between two impressive pectorals gave way to him laughing. Steve to his credit, chuckled along with him, having no idea where Bucky’s lewd mind had gone.

He eventually pulled himself upright, chuckling again at the slightly squished rolls and looked up, only to find Steve smiling indulgently at him, eyes crinkling in the corners. The amusement shining from the blue depths, wonderful, and he felt a true spark of connection tethering them. And for a long moment Bucky forgot they were practically strangers, nothing more than passing acquaintances. He felt comfortable with Steve (embarrassing moments aside), which was odd, especially for him and his tendency to remain aloof with people he didn’t know.

“I am _so_ sorry, I think she was actually a cyborg. She was much stronger than she looked.” 

Bucky took a step back, a large one - only so he could breathe again without having Steve’s woody, male scent in his nostrils. He missed being in Steve’s vibrancy and heat immediately.

“Maybe you just need to work on your core muscles.” Steve grinned at him.

“You are! You’re giving me shit. I’m not sure what to think of this.” Bucky was beyond delighted, even though he was the butt of the joke, he honestly didn’t care. Standing with Steve having _actual_ banter was the best part of his week. Hell - the best part of his _year_.

Steve opened his mouth to speak when a loud ringing erupted from his pocket, he looked apologetic for a second as he pulled it out, “Oh, shoot - sorry I’ve got to get this. But it was great to meet you, Buck.”

“Likewise,” Bucky mouthed as Steve put the phone up to his ear and answered. A thrill ran through him at Steve’s shortening of his nickname, it was familiar, like they were becoming friends. Nicknames of nicknames had to mean something right? Regardless it made him grin stupidly, it made him want to hear it again, albeit husked against his ear as Steve pushed himself into Bucky’s body. And the bread aisle was no place to get a surprise hard-on. 

As Steve walked away with a little finger wave, Bucky noticed he had a decided lack of bread rolls in his basket, which was weird after their entire interaction was borne from grabbing the same bag. Shrugging it off, Bucky couldn’t help hold up his bundle of rolls to send Darcy a photo.

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** <image4401> Steve has nice buns.

His phone started to ring immediately and with an almost giddy chuckle he answered.

“Yes, I got a name.”

“And a number? And then managed to wrangle his massive frame outside for some frottage against the wall of the alley?”

Bucky laughed, a small pang hitting him in the chest, there were no numbers exchanged, “that was an oddly specific question, but baby steps, Kemosabe - maybe next time.”

  
  
  


“I don’t understand why I have to come with you.” Bucky complained for the fortieth time in twenty minutes, earning absolutely no reaction from Darcy. She’d stopped even acknowledging his presence after the second time, and he was losing the battle to get her to flinch.

For such an excitable, sassy, smart-alek who couldn’t leave well enough alone, she was extremely practiced at behaving like an adult when it suited her. 

Darcy brokered no room for argument when she told Bucky to change into workout gear only to drag him along to the gym as her Doctor had orders to strengthen her recovering ankle. She’d apparently found the ‘perfect’ place that even he would enjoy. He was reserving judgement.

“I mean, I’m fit enough already,” he tried again.

This time she _did_ look him up and down, “not going to lie, you could use a little tightening up in spots.”

Aghast, he grabbed her arm as she tried to dodge him, the huge grin plastered on her face aggravating. “Take that back, you witch!”

Cackling, Darcy opened the door to the gym she was blackmailing him to attend, and motioned him in first. He'd concede it was located near their apartment, which was a bonus, especially when the weather turned colder, though he knew of one other gym that was even closer. But Darcy had done her research and her ploy to have Bucky enter first, one of her better schemes. One glance around and he could see why she wanted to attend that particular gym, because he was hooked immediately.

Space was the first thing that smacked him in the senses, the huge ceilings and bright skylights, creating a feeling of freedom, of being able to work out without being boxed in. The large room was sectioned, with other smaller rooms, albeit not pokey in size either, coming off of it, two boxing rings were located in the middle, he could see the latest equipment lining the walls and classes being held to the back in rooms with mirrors and thumping baselines. But it was the free weight section which caught his attention, he could spend a lot of time there. Everything was pristine, yet it was the greenery which gave the whole space a different twist than usual.

Plants sat everywhere - big leafy green shrubs and small trees lined all walls with hanging pots overflowing with flowers coming from above and instead of looking out of place, they suited the area. The calming effect was instantaneous and Bucky didn’t feel like he was in the middle of a gritty New York gym, he was transported elsewhere, it was wonderful and such a novel idea.

Banner’s Gym and Sanctuary certainly lived up to its name.

“I can now see why you chose this place to sweat in,” Bucky said as he looked around wide eyed, noting happily a cafe in one corner and a hallway which meandered off for spa treatments. He turned back to the reception desk to join up for ten personal trainer sessions. “Coffee… and massages.”

“Yeah, not the reason.” She replied cryptically as they made their way to a space hidden behind a tall wall of plants to meet the PT.

The area was private, which was good, because how many people really wanted to see a PT and have the rest of the gym looking on as they were put through their paces? Not Bucky that was for sure. And even though Darcy teased him about being unfit, he wasn’t, not really. He ran every day, had weights at home which he used spasmodically, but he’d always been more of a cardio guy. Sure he could afford to tighten things up, but he still had definition and watched what he ate - generally.

They rounded a corner and Bucky saw the six other people the receptionist told them were also waiting for the PT session. He noticed they were much older than he’d expected, the age gap initially surprising him until he realised he and Darcy _were_ attending in the middle of the day when most people their age worked. 

At least he didn’t have to be worried about being shown up by a young guy trying to out-lift him, because _that_ was a valid reason to be concerned. Bucky really needed to get out more. He eyed a gentleman in his fifties and realised he could still probably out-lift Bucky anyway.

The girl at the front desk had explained their first session was complimentary due to it being in a group, it was the best way for the trainer to figure out everyone’s needs, then they’d be on tailormade individual sessions thereafter. As he glanced away from Darcy who was putting on a god awful 80s inspired sweatband in rainbow colours on her head, he noticed everyone else looking towards a man crouched over a bag, the PT he assumed from the equipment he was pulling out. Within a second Bucky understood why they all were staring his way. 

The man’s ass was exceptional.

Bucky cocked his hip, taking a moment to enjoy the view so wonderfully on display. His eyes ate up the curves underneath shorts so taut the very fabric strained and he let out a small shaky exhale, unbelieving he was immediately drawn to what no doubt was a typical gym junkie with rocks in their head. He was also very heavily stereotyping, but in this case, he was letting his imagination run rampant. Thighs that thick would definitely drown out any noise if they were snug around Bucky’s head, especially if the PT sat on his chest, pinning him down, feeding Bucky his cock until he was a wreck, needing to be filled by it, needing to be taken - hard.

Darcy gave him a sharp push on the shoulder, knowing exactly where his thoughts lay and with a secret little grin that he couldn’t decipher, she winked. What was that about?

He turned to the instructor who was now standing and stretching, still not facing them, but he didn’t need to, Bucky was enthralled by the view. The god-like physiqued man was wearing nothing more than small shorts and a tank and Bucky watched as muscles popped and moved under unblemished tanned skin. _Huh_. Maybe he’d get over his little obsession with Steve and move on to a quick affair with a gym teacher. 

Then the man spun around.

“Right, welcome everyone.” A very familiar voice began, curling Bucky’s toes immediately, “perfect, I’ve seen a few of you in the gym before and… Bucky?”

Bucky stared back, brain and motor skills disappearing in the face of his supermarket crush. His crush who wore tiny running shorts and a tank with the largest arm holes in existence. _Christ,_ he could see nipple, he could see fucking nipple on a chest so broad it would take an hour to lick across the bredth of it. This was a DEFCON one situation.

Darcy elbowed him hard and he winced, she always managed to get between his ribs, he growled in annoyance then realised he’d not replied to Steve, who was smiling at him delightedly. Bucky already looked like a grade A numpty when they bumped into each other at the shops and now he was proving he was an idiot everywhere. Letting out another small wounded sound when Darcy elbowed him a second time, he finally nodded with a small wave, swallowing tightly, “Hey, Steve.”

Life and the great powers that be, had clearly decided Bucky was slated to die from unrequited sexual attraction embellished with a large dose of embarrassment in the form of Steve. So far it was succeeding.

Steve’s huge smile didn’t waver and he went on to greet a few more people by name, then explained how the session would work before jogging over to them prior to starting. Steve's strength and sheer physicality hit Bucky for six and he felt his mouth desperately trying to produce moisture. It was a lost cause. Steve was even more stunning in his element… at the gym… half naked… making Bucky think thoughts that pornstars would even blush at.

“Hey Buck, how you doing? I didn’t see your name on the list, did I?”

“Err, I’m…” a slip of pink nipple had his eyes zoning in on the area, and he caught himself wavering towards Steve. Averting his eyes, he inhaled tightly, “yeah, I’m alright, I mean for someone being dragged to a gym… and I would be listed as James. But please don’t call me that. Only my mother and grandmother do, and I don’t want to associate you with old women I’m related to...” He trailed off at Steve’s chuckle and realised, once again he’d let words out of his mouth before they’d been filtered. Darcy’s roaring laughter from beside him, meant any chance to save the moment and try for smoothness, had been well and truly lost.

“Hey, _Steve,_ I’m Darcy, nice to meet you, finally.” She grabbed Steve’s hand and shook it, leaving Bucky the perfect opportunity to stare at his profile unhindered, noting the way his smile slipped when Darcy introduced herself. _What was that about?_ But the grin was there when Bucky blinked next, so he probably misread the small quirk. Darcy _was_ annoying, but it generally took more than an introduction to form a strong opinion about her, and before Bucky could ponder on it for any length of time, Steve was speaking in detail about what he would do with Darcy as her ankle was still in repair. The way he was so invested, truly cared about Darcy’s fitness, paired with the looks towards Bucky to include him in the conversation, showed him what an all round great guy Steve was. 

Not just great though, he was brilliant, kind, the most attractive person in New York - the world, and Bucky wanted to ride him until his thighs seized up and he couldn’t walk. Those nipples though, they were going to give him whiplash, because every time Steve moved his arms to talk, they flashed, attracting Bucky’s attention immediately. The small slips of pink skin had Bucky unconsciously licking his lips in pure unadulterated desire. He was fighting a losing battle not to just walk up, shove the fabric of Steve’s tank aside and just latch on and bite and suck the dusky pink nipple. _Damn it._

For all of his misgivings on not being able to concentrate on any exercise with Steve walking between them all, touching legs, hips and arms to position people correctly, he actually managed to not spring an unfortunate boner in the middle of class, but he also learnt a lot of things about his own body and it’s limits.

“You _do_ need to work on your core,” Steve chuckled, as his hands bracketed Bucky’s lower back and stomach, and it wasn’t his core Bucky was thinking about in that second, it was something altogether more unsavoury. He wondered if asking Steve to drop his hands lower would constitute public indecency?

“My core, thank you very much, is exactly how it is supposed to be,” he replied sarcastically with a small wheeze from trying to hold his core tight while not wavering as he stood on one leg in the classic Tree Pose. His core _could_ use some work, but he wasn’t letting Steve know that.

Steve to his credit, huffed out an amused sound from his nose and leant in close until his mouth almost touched Bucky’s ear and whispered, “show me then.”

And that was it, Bucky was over, leg down as he looked incredulously up at Steve. Was that flirting? Did that constitute as flirting? He swung his eyes to Darcy, but she was too busy trying to hold her own position, and with a small tilt to his lips, Steve moved on.

“Up you go, Buck - try again, this time hold it longer for me.”

Bucky complied almost immediately, wanting to show Steve he could take orders, enjoyed them, _alright_ \- craved them.

The payoff was worth every extra bead of sweat when Steve next came past, patting Bucky on the shoulder, telling him ‘he was doing so well, and that he was pleased with his effort’, and a rush of endorphins hit at the praise. The warming lube he’d purchased the other week would be getting a hell of a workout later that night. 

After the session had ended and while Steve chatted to his other clients, Bucky wiped at the moisture coating his brow, not due to being unfit - as Darcy would argue - but because it was extra hot in the gym. He glanced up as Steve gestured at the air telling a story. Yes, it was _very_ hot. 

Then he swung his gaze back to find Darcy smirking at him.

“Honestly, Darce. What the hell? How unlucky... okay, how _lucky_ am I, that out of all the gyms in Brooklyn and out of all the PT’s in the world, we happen to choose this one, _and_ it was Steve as our trainer. I should go buy a lottery ticket.”

Darcy stifled a groan, and raised her eyes heavenward which Bucky didn’t think was fair, but before he could protest she’d dropped her gaze back to him and shook her head like he was a dunce. “You’re so absolutely clueless, you know that right?”

“Hey,” Bucky argued back. “Context please?”

“I need you to look at the first photo you sent me of Steve, the only one that’s not blurred. The one where his back is turned, and tell me what you see.”

Bucky frowned and grabbed his phone from his bag as Darcy waited, then pulled up the incriminating photo which started his thirst. He quickly glanced around to check where Steve was standing and found him talking to Rita, a lovely talkative lady who only lived a few blocks away from them, and thought it safe enough.

Scrolling, he found the picture with the ‘Hot & Spicy’ bag of chips with Steve and clicked it open, seeing nothing of any note. Still clueless he gave Darcy a look, “what?”

“Look at it closely, you oblivious piece of man meat.”

He looked again, eyes scouring over the image, then shrugged. It was for all purposes a distant picture of Steve’s back, impressive as it was, but he didn’t see… oh… _oh…_

He enlarged the image with his thumb and forefinger to see writing on the back of Steve’s t-shirt, something he’d not taken notice of before. It said, ‘Banner’s Gym and Sanctuary. Personal Trainer’, followed by a phone number. He'd thought it was an ironic print, like ‘Joe’s Pizza, everyone wants a slice’. Clearly Darcy was smarter than him. He was _not_ going to admit that out loud though.

“You knew?”

“Ding, ding, ding, give the boy a prize. What prize would you like, I can grab something from the top shelf, or from what I’ve heard you like the bottom -”

“- Jesus, Lewis, shut the fuck up,” he hissed, just as Steve walzed up, megawatt smile in place and Bucky felt his insides stumble, then reassert themselves upright.

“How did you go then? I didn’t go too hard on you, did I?”

Bucky felt his tongue hit the roof of his mouth, with the urge _not_ to say anything. Because he knew if he did, it would mean he’d never be able to show his face in the green, relaxing gym again, and even though he’d only been there for about an hour - it was one of his favourite places in Brooklyn already.

“Oh, Bucky loves it hard, you should _definitely_ go harder next time, Steve.”

Steve’s eyes widened at the words and Bucky slapped his hand over Darcy’s mouth. Mortified, he swung his eyes towards Steve to apologise; only to see him just as red faced, but instead of looking at Darcy, Steve’s gaze was directly on him, something shifting behind his eyes like Bucky was prey, something Bucky couldn’t pinpoint, but felt hot nonetheless from it. He didn’t have time to work out what it meant because he was too damn embarrassed by what his best friend had just insinuated. Too bad what she said was painfully true - Bucky loved it hard. But it was hardly a thing to announce in polite conversation.

“Perfect session, Steve.” Bucky bumbled out, feeling hot air from Darcy’s nose hitting the side of his hand as it was still snug over her mouth, else she let out that he also enjoyed being restrained, with a gleeful smile. “Can’t wait to see what plans you have for me.”

“Uh…” Steve began, his voice faltering, and it was at that moment Darcy licked his palm and Bucky pulled away with a yelp. “Sorry, what plans?”

“For our one-on-one sessions. Obviously my core is fine,” he aimed for teasing to get the derailed train that was his mind back on track and wiped his hand off on his t-shirt.

“Obviously,” was the soft reply as Steve’s eyes tracked the motion of Bucky’s hand and he looked down only to realise he’d shucked his shirt up over his shorts and his stomach was partially on display. He was a walking human disaster.

“Hey Steve?” Rita called from the other side of the room and with an apologetic smile and a small shake to his head, Steve said his farewell and Bucky had no choice but to watch him walk away. Which to be fair, wasn’t such a bad view, but it meant he was leaving, literally _walking away,_ leaving Bucky with no way to figure out what the lengthy looks had meant. If they meant anything at all.

They left the gym soon after, and Bucky couldn’t help but look back one last time, only to find Steve’s eyes already on him. The blue gaze faltered and Steve gave a small wave, before turning his attention back to Rita. 

There was a small part of Bucky relishing the fact that Steve had been staring, though it could have been something as simple as the fact he’d sweated through his shirt so thoroughly, Steve was concerned that Bucky would dehydrate on the walk back home. 

He really hoped Steve was watching him for an entirely different reason.

The next time Bucky ran into Steve at the supermarket, he managed to actually string a sentence together like a real adult, glad it seemed to be getting easier, _thank Christ_. It only took having seen Steve in the smallest shorts known to man for Bucky to be able to speak without stuttering - who’d have thought? 

Although Steve was wearing sweats, not shorts to the shop, and the material outlined things Bucky had no right to be staring at or even looking towards, but Steve’s crotch seemed to be a beacon, Bucky’s eyes dropping too many times to be polite.

The main issue with bumping into Steve unintentionally - was Darcy. She’d come _with_ him for a change, which meant his attempts at flirting were kept to a minimum. And the reason he _still_ didn’t ask for Steve’s number was because she was watching like a hawk and would never let him live it down if he didn’t succeed in gaining it. It had nothing to do with the fact he was chicken shit.

He wasn’t certain how Darcy was managing to be both the best _and_ worst friend whilst also thoroughly cock-blocking him at the same time. She was clearly ambidextrous. Though to be fair, being a cock-block wasn’t _really_ her fault, not this time at any rate. 

Steve, when he’d seen Bucky down the spice aisle, had been open and chatty, asking millions of questions about what he’d been doing, where he’d been going and what he’d been watching on TV, when Darcy came barrelling around the corner lifting up the last bag of bread flour like it was Simba from The Lion King (and also chanting the song) at them. That’s when it got strange, after saying a polite hello to Darcy and bestowing a long look at Bucky, Steve gave his apologies and rushed off, seemingly having somewhere important to be. 

“Hey, what happened? Do I smell?” Darcy asked as she sniffed her armpit then shoved the flour into their basket, trying to hide the block of chocolate she’d also snaffled in behind it.

He raised an eyebrow, motioning towards the chocolate, “we’re going to a gym and our trainer is in the shops now. You think that’s a good idea?”

“Absolutely. Because we need an excuse to keep going back, well _you_ do anyway. Can’t allow Steve to go without his Bucky fix.”

Bucky hummed noncommittally, trying not to react to her words. If _only_ Steve needed a Bucky fix, _hell_ , he’d be there in a heartbeat if he thought he had a shot. Grabbing the ginger, all-spice and nutmeg off the shelf, he popped them with the other ingredients to make his mom’s Christmas cookies later in the month. But he couldn’t let go of her words, not completely. “Honestly, I don’t think he’s interested in me in that way.”

“You’re fucking bananas, you have eyes right? That man is so damn besotted with you, it makes me want to gag. Just like you want to gag on his -"

Bucky slapped her arm, effectively stopping the flow of words, "we're in public you heathen."

Darcy grinned, "such a prude. Nah… seems my plan is working perfectly.”

“Your what now?”

“Nothing,” Darcy singsonged and grabbed a tube of chips, wriggling them in a suggestive manner, “once you pop you can’t stop - are we getting a photo?”

“You’re terrible, and no we aren’t you creep…” 

It was the first time Bucky didn’t take a picture.

  
  


Bucky was a sweaty mess, and not from doing anything fun, unless people counted exercise as fun. Which surely no one _actually_ did. It was a concept, nothing more.

Having Steve train the two of them while wearing the smallest workout gear in existence, had Bucky's heart constantly racing to such a degree he was concerned it might seize up. Seriously though, shorts _did_ come in adult sizes, Steve didn’t have to keep wearing ones from the youth section. The large sinewy naked thigh muscles strained as he crouched beside Darcy to show her the proper way to use a medicine ball when lying on her back, and Bucky could do nothing to stop his dick from taking notice. How could it not? Especially when the tendons and veins popped on Steve’s forearms as he held the ball above Darcy before placing it in her hands again. Bucky couldn’t help laughing as she flailed a little under the strain, and that was when Steve turned his blue eyes on Bucky.

“Your turn next,” he said with a cheeky grin.

Yep, Bucky was going to have to strap his dick to his thigh.

“Looking forward to it,” he husked, then internally facepalmed himself. It sounded like he was a horny fifteen year old boy who didn’t understand the nuances of flirting with someone, even though it was currently one-sided flirting. To be fair, with only the barest of looks, Steve somehow made him feel like an aroused teenager.

But Steve ignored his terrible attempt at flirting and his attention after the smallest of smiles was back to Darcy. Bucky might have to try harder, or maybe he should give up? Maybe Steve wasn’t as interested as Darcy kept intimating, even though he proudly wore a bi pin on his tank tops, (a fact Darcy had pointed out with glee {and he had to shut down the threesome talk again }) it didn’t mean he was attracted to Bucky.

Although sometimes, just sometimes the hint of interest shone through, albeit usually when they were alone. It was becoming a conundrum.

So far they’d had five of the ten training sessions, and Steve had been nothing but perfectly polite, a little flirty on occasion but nowhere near what he'd been prior, and Bucky couldn’t help wonder if he’d said or done something which indicated he wasn’t interested. Because he was - he was practically gasping with interest.

A small voice piped up that he could always approach Steve and ask him out for a drink one night, a voice that suspiciously sounded like Darcy. But for some reason each time he thought about speaking the words, he panicked a little, his tongue becoming too big for his mouth and he couldn't get it out. Bucky just didn’t have the courage _or_ the self esteem to ask someone who looked like Steve, who was as amazingly kind and nice as Steve, out. 

Bucky felt as if Steve should date someone who saved the world on a daily basis, who would be there for him at all times. Unlike Bucky, who when writing a novel would disappear for months on end into a spiral of research and writing, getting angry at the world and despairing of not being good enough, that everyone would hate every single word he put down on paper.

It was a work in progress, trying to balance his career with a social life, and he honestly was juggling it better, but it still needed work. And that would be the definitive reason he was single and had only a handful of great friends who'd been with him through thick and thin. Bucky couldn’t put somebody he truly cared about through his brand of turmoil. Although when it came to Steve, he was surprised to find it really made him want to try.

Maybe the catalyst for Bucky to actually think about his future and how he treated himself _was_ Steve. Maybe that was why he'd come into Bucky’s life in a hailstorm of food related sexual puns.

Except now it wasn't just food related, because Steve was walking around in a Reebok tank stating 'I am what I am' and all Bucky could think was the words 'fucking gorgeous' each time he read it. He also may have slipped 'A Top' in, on occasion. A guy could hope, right?

His spiralling internal thoughts distracted him enough that he jumped, inhaling sharply when Steve stalked over to watch his workout with a soft smile, like he knew Bucky was a million miles away.

“Still with me, bud?” Steve smirked down at him, and boy-oh-boy, that small tilt of his mouth was something else. 

Bucky groaned in response as he lay on his back, looking directly up (failing miserably at ignoring Steve’s presence) squinting as the overhead lights beamed down at him, then began to thrust the medicine ball up in the air, before lowering it to his chest, then repeating the motion up then over his head, then back again.

Suddenly big blue eyes and a blonde head snuck into his view, and Steve’s smile beamed as he counted Bucky down through the exercise. Which of course was when Bucky began to lose count, he was too busy staring into Steve’s eyes and if it wasn’t for Steve watching him like a hawk and grabbing the ball at the last minute - Bucky would have ended up with a broken nose from a ball which should _not_ be called a ball.

“You right there, Buck?”

“Uh, yeah - peachy," he replied, knowing his face was flushed from more than exertion.

Steve grinned with something knowing behind his expression and Bucky felt his heart kickstart deep in his chest. And just as Bucky was about to segway into perhaps asking for his number, or, well, testing the waters, Steve ordered them both up to do a round of intense cardio.

"Sir?" Darcy rasped after they'd done too many burpees, one was too many if he were honest.

"Steve is fine," he replied warmly.

"Really? It just seems you like to give orders, thought Sir suited you better.” She hesitated a beat, “and Buck here _loves_ taking orders."

"Fucking hell, Lewis." Bucky exploded between panting and wondering how to feign an injury so he could stop the torment.

"What?" She asked saccharine sweet, he wanted to trip her over.

"You just -"

" - thirty pushups now." Steve interrupted, speaking directly to Bucky.

"Huh?" He articulated in return.

"Language. I warned you in the first session I wouldn’t tolerate swearing." 

"Shi… uh - gosh - sure, sorry," he mumbled.

“Now, Bucky.”

Bucky did _not_ mean to get a hard-on from Steve's orders, and doing pushups was probably just going to exacerbate the situation. He hoped to god that he wasn’t told to turn over to complete a rep of sit-ups, because his shorts were not going to hide _anything_.

But he did exactly what he was told. Like a good boy.

The evil smirk hovering around Steve's lips didn’t explain the heat in his eyes as he watched Bucky struggle through the task. It felt like tormented foreplay, and Bucky was there for it.

"Thirty for you too."

"What?" Darcy exclaimed to Steve, clearly horrified.

"You're an accomplice."

At Bucky's laugh, she kicked out at him but didn’t land the blow.

"That's forty for you now, for physical harassment."

"I hate you," she hissed out the corner of her mouth to Bucky.

"You love me," Bucky teased back, then looked up to Steve whose face no longer held the smirking smile, and he faltered in his reps, losing count again.

For the first time in all their sessions, Steve didn't stick around to catch up afterwards. Bucky swallowed down his disappointment and figured it might be for the best. He was too attached already.

  
  


The following week on the afternoon of their next PT training with Steve, Darcy texted Bucky to let him know she’d be working late and so had organised for them to take Steve’s last appointment. She followed this up with a winking face and instructions not to wait for her as she’d meet Bucky there. Darcy never worked late unless it was important and he hoped everything was okay at the lab where she collated and tagged blood samples.

He arrived just before ten, wanting to head back home and sleep rather than work out and get sweaty. But he’d promised Darcy he’d stick to their exercise routine and didn’t want to let her down. The gym was surprisingly crowded, except the PT area which only had one person in attendance. 

Steve.

Bucky turned the corner and couldn’t help the rush that preceded his smile, waving in a dorky greeting when he saw Steve talking on his phone. Steve’s eyes honed in on him and remained unmoving as he returned the wave, loudly organising a time for something the next day before hanging up, gaze finally shifting from Bucky to the phone as he put it away. He was unable to keep the small ping of hope that Steve was chatting to a client rather than organising a coffee date. Not that Bucky had gathered the courage up to ask Steve out yet, and if it wasn’t for Darcy always being there, he totally would have. Yeah, totally.

“Hey Buck, ready to start?”

“Uh, sure - shouldn’t we wait for Darcy though?”

Steve frowned as if trying to puzzle out why Bucky asked, “didn’t she tell you?”

“Tell me what, I haven’t seen her for a few days and she didn’t text - well, I don’t think so...”

Steve’s brows gathered even further and Bucky really wanted to walk over and smooth out the lines, before dropping to his knees, taking Steve’s small shorts with him then aquainting his mouth with his -

“- Darcy can’t make it, she’s stuck at work. It’s just you and me bud.”

Bucky gulped, oh hell. The winky face made all the sense in the world now. He grabbed his phone out and quickly checked it, only to see a message notification flashing.

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **You can thank me later by letting me be the best woman at your wedding. 

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **Now make A GODDAMN MOVE!!!!!

It was followed by way too many peach and eggplant emojis and a ring at the end.

“Nope, nothing from her.” he said quickly.

“Oh, sorry - I just thought… you know what, none of my business.” Steve replied enigmatically, and Bucky _wanted_ Steve to know his business but didn’t readily have anything to add. Not without looking like he was desperately trying to find common ground anyway.

Steve grabbed a couple of skipping ropes from his bag and Bucky wondered if they would cut circulation off if used as restraints. _Not helpful brain._

Steve also pulled a sports drink from his bag to take a large pull from it and Bucky swallowed his tongue coughing, choking on his own air. Steve quickly stopped drinking.

“You okay?”

Bucky just motioned he was, and Steve took another sip, the words on the side of the bottle, ‘Go Stronger For Longer’ like a teasing prelude, eliciting images in Bucky’s mind so filthy he wasn’t sure he could move, let alone work out. His brain was a mine-field, suggestive slogans were going to be his downfall - he knew it.

It was only when Steve walked over and handed him the cord, which looked sturdy, more so than rope and would leave interesting marks against his skin, that Darcy’s text sunk in. He was alone. With Steve. In practically a deserted area of the gym. _Alone_. He could ask Steve out.

He was still floundering for words when Steve indicated they were starting with light cardio, and Bucky had to gulp down that he knew what else they could do to increase heart rates. But he started to skip instead.

“So, what do you do with your time?” Steve asked as they started to lightly exercise.

Bucky liked that Steve had yet to ask what he did for a living, ever so polite and conscious that Bucky might actually not be employed at the moment, especially considering the times he’d been going to the gym and the times he’d bumped into Steve at the shops. Although he was always a little shy talking about what he did, he found he wanted to be honest with Steve.

“I... uh, I’m a writer. Novels mostly.”

“Really?” Steve stopped jumping, but Bucky didn’t, already fearing reprisal if he took it upon himself to stop - Steve took exercise seriously and Bucky would not halt until told to. That also brought up delicious scenes of Steve ordering him to not come until told. _Jesus_ , his brain was on overdrive.

“Yep, have officially been for the last seven or so years, I’ve written my whole life, but published for about seven. Fiction, mainly superheroes, a little sci-fi - nothing too serious.”

“Don’t downplay your work, Buck.” Steve answered hotly, sounding like he understood that his career was actually a career and not a phase. And it was so hard to keep skipping, he just wanted to stare back at Steve and get lost in those blue eyes. “Would I have read anything of yours?”

“Oh, maybe, depending on what types of books you generally read.” He paused, finding it harder to talk the longer he skipped, “have you heard of J.B. Barnes?” He asked tentatively.

There was a beat of silence where he thought Steve was going to politely say he hadn’t, which was perfectly fine, his writing wasn’t for the masses and more often than not, people indicated they’d never heard of him before. But he didn’t expect Steve to bark ‘stop.’

Bucky let the rope smack against his shins, obeying Steve to the letter, only wincing a little at the sharp sting (yet also enjoying it), then looked up at Steve who’d turned his back and was fossicking in his gym bag. Bucky knew he had a puzzled expression on his face.

He was not expecting Steve to pull a book out of his bag - Bucky’s book.

Bucky’s heart thumped hard in his chest. Steve had his book, owned his book, a very dogeared and well read book. Was that a big deal?

“Oh - so I guess that means you have?” 

“Absolutely I have, I mean - these books… the Winter Soldier… just…” Steve trailed off, Bucky warmed at the enthusiasm in his voice, “But, you don’t have your picture on the jacket though?”

He liked the way Steve checked the inside cover, then the back just in case he’d missed it, and Bucky smiled, “I’m lucky enough my publisher allows me to fly under the radar still. Only people who attend signings or a panel know my face. I’m flattered you know my stuff, that’s really unexpected. Not that you know it, but just...” he was rambling again, “that you’ve read them…”

Steve’s whole face was positively radiant and Bucky wanted to be allowed permission to capture this moment in a photo to always remember. He liked knowing he’d been the one to put that expression there. 

“Know it? Honestly…” Steve ran a hand over his face, the beaming smile appearing under his hand made Bucky’s chest thrum. “Yeah, Buck - I know your stuff. The way you write the Winter Soldier, the things he’s been through, the relationships he’s forging and failing at, but there’s always hope… always.” Steve stopped abruptly. “Holy shit… I’m fanboying right?”

Bucky laughed loud and unfettered, the thought of Steve fanboying over him almost too ridiculous to comprehend, but here they were. “It’s fine. I like that you - err, like it. If that makes sense?”

“Okay, I’m not going to derail our session, but we need to talk about this - I have so many questions. I mean - sorry, if you don’t mind?”

Bucky smiled indulgently, finally feeling they were on even footing. Even if it was because Steve was a fan of his writing and therefore stammered, and Bucky stammered because he found Steve utterly mesmerizing and hard to talk to as he was just _that_ handsome. “I’ll try my best, but no spoilers. Deal?”

Bucky held out his hand and chuckled when Steve kept staring at him, ignoring it until he shook himself out of his stupor, flushing the prettiest shade of pink when he eventually spied Bucky’s gesture. It was almost as if they’d flipped positions from their moment in the shop when Bucky’s brain had stopped computing. Steve grabbed it with a soft smile, fingers trailing across Bucky’s palm as he let go, the shiver in response, something Bucky couldn’t hide.

Steve held his gaze for a moment, the blue of his eyes was luminous under the artificial lighting and a heart-stopping grin slowly spread, “okay, right - let’s get back into this. You’re not paying me to gush about your books. You ready to stretch now?”

Bucky wanted to shake his head and say no, he was having too much fun watching Steve flounder, and the thought of paying Steve to gush, also left dirty images stomping around in his mind. Then Steve pointed towards the mat he’d set up and it smacked him between the eyes.

Usually he and Darcy stretched together, using each other for leverage. The fact that Darcy had thrown him to the wolves meant he’d be up close and personal with Steve. _They_ would be doing the partner stretches together instead. Lord help him.

“Yep,” he popped the ‘p’ and lay on the ground, looking up in trepidation. Hoping his dick would not get hard at any point in the next ten minutes.

“We’ll just do the usual, okay? Leg up.”

Bucky raised his right leg straight up in the air and Steve knelt next to him, locking his ankle over Bucky’s which was still stretched out straight on the ground. The touch of skin on skin should not have been sexy, or make his breathing stutter. It did though.

Steve’s strong hands then grasped Bucky’s right heel and pressed forward, until Bucky’s leg was as straight as he could get it, pressing up towards his head, leaving him completely exposed below Steve’s form. Steve held the position for thirty seconds, all whilst holding Bucky’s gaze, not saying a word. The entire stretch felt more intimate than it had a right to.

Bucky couldn’t look away.

Steve switched sides.

“This okay?” Steve asked quietly, pressing forward with Bucky’s left leg this time. “Let me know if I go too far.”

Bucky let out a small groan as the stretch burned in a good way. Steve stilled and he realised he’d practically moaned out loud while Steve was on top of him.

“Uh, yeah - sorry, just feels _really_ good.”

Steve’s eyes darkened exponentially, and Bucky gulped as the air around them became charged all of a sudden.

After Steve had finished the hold, he immediately backed off, leaving Bucky cold and uncertain. But regardless, he’d already made up his mind. No matter how scared he was of the outcome, he was going to ask Steve out for a drink, beer or coffee, he didn’t care, _hell_ , he’d even settle for a walk to get milk. Bucky now had an opening, he could ask Steve in the guise of chatting about his series, though he hoped Steve liked him for more than writing the books he was clearly fond of.

“Next stretch?” Steve husked, and Bucky took a second to really look at Steve. He was flushed, eyes now avoiding Bucky’s when before they were honed in on him, and he was at a loss on why. He indicated he was ready with a small noise, wondering at the abrupt change in Steve’s demeanor.

Taking his right leg again, Steve lifted and bent the knee before crossing it over Bucky’s body, so his kneecap pointed towards his left armpit. Bucky stayed on his back looking up at Steve who was bent over him, it was a fantastic position, but not for stretching.

It was at this point Darcy usually made faces at him. Steve did no such thing. 

Instead, Steve’s eyes captured his - and didn’t let go. Bucky became lost in a depth of blue usually reserved for the deepest parts of the ocean. Steve’s foot then pushed snug against Bucky’s inner left thigh, and he relaxed into the contact; Steve placed his other foot up and under the bend of Bucky’s knee and pushed as far as the stretch would allow, which wasn’t far - Bucky was not the flexible sort. But it was when Steve leaned over to press his palm onto Bucky’s shoulder to keep his body flush with the ground, that things began to truly get intense. 

Bucky opened his mouth in an ‘o’ as the stretch hit him, in a not unpleasant way, but because Steve was directly above him watching closely, his eyes flicked between Bucky’s eyes and lips then back again.

“Fuck, you’re too much…” Steve breathed, then all of a sudden jumped off Bucky like he was a burning hot flame.

Bucky was left breathless and wondering what had just happened, certain they were having a moment.

“I think you’ve stretched enough,” Steve said in a rush and then before Bucky could catch his breath, he was up off the floor and straight into a brutal routine.

Steve kept it professional the whole way through, only starting to loosen up and relax by the end of their session. But Bucky didn’t miss the frequent looks thrown his way when he thought Bucky wasn’t watching. Thank god for floor to ceiling mirrors, otherwise Bucky would have thought he’d imagined Steve’s reaction.

As they packed up the equipment and Bucky tried to collate his breathing into a semblance of normality, he finally steeled his nerves. “Steve?”

“Yeah,” he replied, looking up from wiping down the hand weights.

“I was wondering… I was hoping… I was thinking about…” He stopped and couldn’t go on. Stupid self-doubt. 

Steve’s slow grin was hard to look away from. “You were…?”

“Would you want to grab a beer tomorrow night at O'Shannessy's? They have good specials and I think it might be quiz night. Test out your brain and shitty trivia knowledge. Uh, with me, I mean.”

Bucky tried to add in a few things that might make going out with him more appealing, just in case Steve needed extra incentives. Steve’s face transformed from burgeoning excitement, to frustration then into a form of resignation and Bucky couldn’t work out why. He finally schooled his features into something neutral, “oh, I’d really like to -”

“- look, I’ll be there at eight, if you can make it, great, if not I’ll see you next week for our session.” Bucky didn’t want to hear Steve say no outright, didn’t think his fragile confidence would take it, so instead he’d worry about it at eight twenty the following evening when Steve hadn’t shown up.

“Oh, um - alright, I’ll see what I can do.”

Bucky smiled earnestly, grabbed his bag and waved goodbye as he left the area, Steve watching him the whole time, unmoving. On the walk home he texted Darcy.

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** your taking me shopping 2mrw - I have a maybe date!

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: ***you’re

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** Really??? That’s all

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **That’s all.

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **OK fine - Fuk yes - we are going to get you laid BOI!!

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **Better?

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** *Fuck

Bucky grinned down at his phone, knowing Darcy would be waiting on his doorstep to hear everything. Now he just had to hope Steve actually turned up.

  
  
  


It was ten past eight and Bucky sipped at his beer trying not to give into the temptation of necking it, then heading home with his tail tucked between his legs at the rejection Steve unwittingly put on his shoulders. It wasn’t _Steve’s_ fault he wasn’t interested in meeting up with Bucky outside of their designated shopping or gym times. Even if Steve _was_ a fan of his books, it didn’t mean he had meet up socially with a mere acquaintance.

The quiz night at O'Shannessy's happened the evening before, so Bucky couldn’t even lose himself in the mindlessness of answering questions and phoning Darcy to come join him. Instead he had his trusty notebook out on the table, jotting down ideas and lines he could use in the next Soldier book. He was aiming for angst when he met up with his childhood crush, and Bucky currently had that in spades. So he sipped at his beer and zoned out the other revelers in the bar.

He loved O'Shannessy's, it was homey, inviting, had cheap beers and a community feel to it. The fact it was stumbling distance to his apartment was also a plus. They knew him by name and he liked that, although that might actually show how often he was frequenting the fine establishment. He did a lot of writing there, external noise seemed to help him hone in on his muse.

“This seat taken?”

Bucky looked up to find a man with curling brown hair and a handsome, if not pretty face staring back at him, a hopeful expression in his green eyes.

“Err,” Bucky started, flattered and not quite sure how to answer.

“Sorry I’m late,” a secondary deep voice came from behind Bucky and to his absolute shock, Steve was there, crushing him in a tight hug. The other man apologised and moved on, just as Bucky thought he might fall out of his chair in sheer surprise. Steve had never been tactile unless he was placing Bucky in a stretch at the gym. It was a good feeling though, a possessive feeling, and he _really_ liked it.

“Oh, you made it?” He couldn’t keep the surprised questioning tone hidden as Steve sat down, beer in hand, then could have smacked himself, it came out rude and sharp.

Steve looked a little contrite, “yeah, sorry I’m late - I wasn’t… you know what. It’s fine. How you been? Busy day?”

“Not too bad, I got caught up in plot ideas for the next book. Spent the afternoon down a rabbit hole of research on turn of the century devices they used in mental asylums, then Darcy and I had to go shopping.”

“Oh, right,” Steve’s eyes flashed down to the open notebook, before looking back up, making Bucky hold his breath at the pure unadulterated longing in his gaze. “You know, you and Darcy are really good together.”

Bucky frowned at the way Steve put their friendship and shrugged. “She’s the biggest pain in my ass, but she means well. Not a lot of people put up with my crazy schedule and sometimes borderline obsessive need to disappear for weeks on end. She makes sure I eat at least.”

Steve smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes and Bucky wondered what was going on. Steve was usually so vivid, bright - always quick to smile and tease. The last few times they’d seen each other Bucky felt like something between them had shifted, sometimes in a good way, sometimes not. It seemed Steve was reluctantly pulling away, yet also wanting to stay close. 

Steve took a sip of his Mexican beer and the coaster underneath the glass proclaimed ‘sooner or later you’ll get it’ making Bucky almost groan when he read it. Of course the coaster was giving him advice. Why not?

And for the first time in Bucky's life, as he sat in a crowded bar with a man he was unfairly drawn to, he made a definitive decision. He wasn't going to let somebody like Steve slip through his inept fingers, not without at least stating his intentions, or asking if he were interested in return. Isn’t that what adults did? Take a stand for what they believed in? Wanted? He was brave in so many aspects of his life, with his career, his move to Brooklyn by leaving everyone he knew behind to start fresh and then coming out as gay. 

There was no time like the present, he was going to bite the bullet and at least take his shot with the most alluring man he’d ever met. What was his life even, egged on like this by subliminal advertising?

He waited until Steve was taking another sip of his beer, then blurted, “Steve, would you like to go out to dinner this Friday?”

“Huh?” Steve asked, beer sloshing over the rim of his glass, before he placed it down on the table with an uneven thump. “Dinner, with just you?”

Bucky wanted to grimace at the tone, but kept going. “Yes, with me. I mean - I hope I haven’t read this wrong but -”

“- Darcy!” Steve practically spluttered.

And of course, how had Bucky been so stupid, “ _oh_ … oh shit - sure. You’re always mentioning her. I’m so… look of _course_ you like Darcy, not me.”

Steve’s brows drew in and Bucky glanced into the crowd wondering if he could break the land speed record to make it to the toilets. Before he could bolt, Steve’s hand slapped over Bucky’s wrist, effectively keeping him in place. _No, no, no..._

“What do you mean, I like her and not you?” Steve asked, leaning across the small table, close enough that Bucky could smell the malt from the ale on his breath. Oh, Jesus, he wanted to lick Steve’s lips so badly. But he was in the middle of being rejected, so probably not the most solid of ideas.

“Uh, just what it says on the package. I’m so sorry Steve, I didn’t mean to be throwing myself at you when you liked…” He used his other hand to wipe over his face, feeling the heat burning on his cheeks, letting his words trail off. He didn’t want to say it again. It was a little demoralizing.

“Throwing yourself? What the hell, Bucky? You most definitely have _not_ been. I would have noticed.”

“I’m fairly subtle about my obviousness. I’m sorry if I made this weird, let’s finish our beers. You can ask me anything about the books - I think you deserve a spoiler after this disaster.”

Steve’s hand only gripped his wrist tighter and Bucky’s wild eyes finally fell to Steve’s steady blue ones, he inhaled slowly in relief when he realised Steve wasn’t horrified at the turn of events or looking at him with pity. His look was almost… fond?

“Bucky.”

“Yeah?”

“I need you to be very plain with me right now, okay? Can you do that?”

Bucky shifted in his seat, very much liking the authority in Steve’s voice. The orders he was giving. But it all felt a little tarnished now, and when Steve pulsed his wrist because he’d not answered, Bucky nodded he understood.

“Are you and Darcy together? Like dating each other?”

The laughter welled up and exploded from his throat, he couldn’t help it. He roared so loud that it garnered a few looks from nearby and Steve just seemed annoyed now and Bucky tried to explain how ridiculous the concept was, but couldn’t. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but his chuckles finally subsided and he used his free hand to wipe tears from his eyes. 

“Sorry, oh christ, I haven’t laughed like that in a while - so thanks for that.”

Steve tugged at his hand he still had a hold of and Bucky fell a little over the table. _Oh,_ Steve looked very frustrated.

“Answer the question, please,” he demanded softly, sending a shiver of want up Bucky’s spine. That tone was killer.

“Uh, no, most definitely not. I’m gay, Steve. I thought that was painfully obvious. Darcy is my best friend, my neighbour, the most annoying person on this planet and also the best person I know. So if you want to ask her out - I won’t stop you. You’d be lucky to have her.”

The grip on his hand relaxed but Steve still didn’t let go. Bucky watched as a slew of emotions flitted over Steve’s face, even though his permission to ask Darcy out, left the taste of ash in his mouth.

Steve shook his head a few times, and his mouth opened and shut as he went to speak, but nothing came out. But his eyes, they were a different story and suddenly Bucky saw confusion give way to hope.

“I thought you and Darcy were a couple. I’ve been kicking myself for lusting over a guy who was happily taken, flirting with him at every turn and feeling like a grade A asshole because I continued to do so, even after I knew you were together. And you’re not?” He paused, eyes bright and Bucky was lost, “Together?,” Steve clarified, “Say it again. Please?”

Bucky was now the one left reeling, like his entire life had been upturned. Did Steve just say -

“- please, Buck?”

“Oh, right. No. I’m definitely single, definitely gay and most definitely into you way more than is appropriate or proper.”

Steve’s face was joy incarnate and he tugged on Bucky’s hand making him practically fall across the table, but this time Steve met him until their lips were only an inch apart. His breath warm against Bucky’s lips and he couldn’t help lick them in anticipation, the soft puffs of air from Steve’s mouth against his, exsquisite torture.

“Can I kiss you?” Steve whispered, hopefully, desperately.

Bucky’s eyes flickered shut in pure utter _want_ , before he nodded, knowing words weren’t going to escape his tight throat.

The small gap disappeared between one breath and the next. 

Steve’s lips were soft, of course they were, and parted deliciously to tease and capture Bucky’s bottom lip before pressing harder against him, tongue meeting Bucky’s in the next moment. It was indescribable how electric the kiss was, Bucky’s body vibrating in pleasure that it might be the precursor for later. The fact that _later_ could be a possibility blew his mind.

Steve pulled back a hairsbreadth, still sharing breath, as if he didn’t want to go too far.

“I don’t want this to sound like a line. But do you want to come back to my place, I’m only around the corner? Totally not expecting anything more to happen, but I want to kiss the life out of you until our lips are bruised and raw and I don’t think anyone in here needs to see me devour your gorgeous mouth.”

Bucky wasn’t sure how he could possibly say no to that? 

So he didn’t.

  
  


Steve lived close to Bucky, really close.

“You live across from the shops,” Bucky remarked as they entered Steve’s foyer to take the elevator up, “That’s probably why we kept running into each other, I only live two blocks that way,” he gestured with his hand.

Steve ducked his head, face red with embarrassment and Bucky tilted his head in question, not certain what made Steve react that way.

“Oh boy, I can’t believe I’m going to say this. Actually let's kiss first in case you don’t want to after.”

Steve grabbed him as the elevator doors opened and he walked Bucky backwards into the small space, lips devouring his, hot and wet, making Bucky’s brain falter, trying to work out the words Steve had spoken before he lost all brain function. Steve’s tongue snaked into his mouth, tasting everything, exploring, making it hard for Bucky to breath. He was in heaven. This huge, gorgeous man couldn’t seem to get enough of him and Bucky was ecstatically on board with it all.

The ding, and the doors opening finally made Steve pull back, mouth red and inviting and Bucky leaned up and gave him another quick peck, which turned into a lick and suckle until his breathing came in sharp bursts. The doors tried to shut again, but banged on Steve who laughed.

“Alright, this way.” He led Bucky down the hallway, fingers tangling in his, and Bucky’s heart burst from his chest in disbelief and happiness. He was actually in Steve’s building, being led to his apartment with the promise of a make-out session.

It took Steve trying the lock twice before the door swung open and he motioned for Bucky to enter. The apartment was nice, neat and full of photos, books and different exercise equipment. It seemed to be a one bedder with separate bathroom and kitchen, small, but homey. Bucky walked over to the window which looked down at the street and laughed.

“You have the perfect view of the supermarket’s front door from here…” he trailed off and looked sharply at Steve who’d made a noise and now appeared adorably flustered.

“Please don’t think I’m a creep, but on the odd occasion I may have glanced out the window to see you enter the shops, and I _may_ have at the same time, for no reason, needed to get milk - or something.”

Bucky was stunned. There were no other words for it. His overactive imagination was right. Steve had been practically waiting around the corner so they would ‘meet’. His chest just about ruptured open for this wonderful silly man standing uncertainly before him.

“I’m sorry, that’s probably too much, I mean honestly it really was just an occasional glance, I wasn’t waiting for you day in day out, just -”

Bucky launched himself towards Steve, who caught him in impossibly strong arms and Bucky sighed deeply into his mouth, kissing him thoroughly, without restraint. Then they were falling, the sofa beneath them soft and full of cushions, Bucky landing with an 'oomph' on top of Steve. Suddenly there was not enough air in the room, they were desperate with their kisses, mouths and tongues wet and wanting with the need to make each other feel good. And by god did Bucky feel good. Especially when he climbed into his lap and straddled Steve, grinding down against his huge, hard cock, and almost whited out in anticipation. But this was only supposed to be kissing, nothing more, right?

“Jesus, Bucky, wanted this for so long, dreamt about your lips…”

He didn’t know if he could keep to just making out on the sofa. Not when he instinctually ground down again and Steve whimpered beautifully into his mouth, hands strong and forceful on Bucky’s hips motioning him in circles, controlling the depth and movement of his grinding. It was filthy.

But should he suggest they do more?

His eyes happened to catch on a box sitting behind Steve’s head on his table and he snorted, couldn’t help it. Steve pulled back questioning and Bucky wasn’t sure how to explain it. But knew he had to. Steve told him about his little supermarket voyeurism after all.

The discarded shoebox with the words ‘just do it’ plastered across the side was the catalyst to Bucky telling the truth. He chuckled again.

“Buck?” Steve asked, as he thrust his hips up, making Bucky moan, forgetting for a moment what he had to tell Steve. “You okay?”

“Yeah, really okay, better than, in fact. Just full disclosure, I need to show you something.”

“Now?” The tone in Steve’s voice almost whining and it was damn adorable.

Bucky placed another chaste kiss on his lips, they were addictive and Bucky was probably in trouble with Steve, he was feeling too much already. He pulled his phone from his back pocket instead of letting Steve distract him again with his lips.

“Yeah, you told me about seeing me walk into the shop, it’s only fair my own creeper tendencies are also shown the light of day.”

Steve raised an eyebrow and huffed out a small laugh at his words, but waited patiently; although his thumb had found its way under Bucky’s shirt and was tracing circles over the skin on his hip. Bucky was impressed he’s not thrown his phone across the room so that Steve could strip him naked and do that to his entire body. It was a close call.

He showed Steve the first picture with the chips in the foreground, and watched as Steve frowned, not understanding what he was looking at. The moment comprehension hit was endearing, the laugh Steve gave as he flicked through the rest, murmuring that he liked the ‘good to the last drop’ pun and also the bread rolls, he lost it at the box of Wheaties proclaiming to be the ‘breakfast of champions’, saying quietly that Bucky would be finding that out first hand, making his brain leak out via his ears.

He was definitely in trouble.

Steve’s face lit up in a huge grin as he handed the phone back.

“You’re not freaked out then?” Bucky asked tentatively.

“If you’d been taking photos of my face and body the whole time, then posting them to social media or something, then probably. But Jesus, Bucky, I’m just so thrilled you like me back. I never thought I’d get my shot with you.”

The sincerity in Steve’s eyes stole his breath, and he leant down and kissed Steve’s lips tenderly. 

“Same. Never in a million years.”

“When you walked into my class, I couldn’t believe it, I thought I’d finally get to know you better, but then Darcy was there and it hit me. You were taken.”

“Not taken,” Bucky replied, “But it explains why you were so hot and cold. But Darcy was the reason we were there, she’d figured out who you were, she was the only one that saw the photos - has been trying to get me to ask you out for weeks.”

Steve shook his head, smile beaming, “seems I owe her a debt, and probably an apology, I may have had some uncharitable thoughts about her along the way.”

“You’re not the only one, pal.” Bucky laughed. “I’m always halfway between praising her or wanting to throttle her.”

“But…” Steve started then leaned up and left a trail of kisses along Bucky’s neck garnering a shiver that started in his toes and vibrated right up through every cell in his body, “I don’t think I want to talk about her right now.”

Bucky made a murmur of agreement and then Steve flipped them over in one swift movement, and Bucky was not the lightest man in the world and the needy whine of desire that erupted from his throat at being manhandled couldn’t be disguised.

“You like that?” Steve teased before attacking his neck again, making Bucky moan loudly.

“S’hot,” He managed before the small nips and bites had him losing all function of being present and accounted for. The overwhelming urge to be taken care of, to let Steve do anything to him, take what he wanted yet also trust that he’d give Bucky what he required in return, filled him.

He fell hard into the kisses, the push of Steve, the fact he took control and guided how fast they were pacing things, and not once did Steve press for anything more than kissing and grinding. Bucky was happy, thrilled, floating on a cloud of lust and just being in Steve’s embrace as he licked, nibbled and made him a puddle of nerve endings.

“Oh, sweetheart, look at you. You’re so gorgeous for me.” Steve’s voice came from far away, but he found himself preening at the praise and the endearment which seemed to slide off his tongue. “So soft already, you want me to take care of you?”

The rasped question drew out another quiet moan and he nodded his head, unable to speak, wanting, needing anything on offer.

“How about, we just lay like this and I’ll make you feel good with kisses, just like I promised. But on Friday, after our date - I promise to make you feel _really_ good. Take care of you, like you deserve. You like it soft, baby?”

Bucky managed to shake his head, “mmm, not always,” He inhaled through his nose, sucking in air, “prefer it hard.”

And Steve’s body stilled above him, a growl filling Bucky’s ears and he pried his eyes open to see Steve above him, eyes shut, complete rapture on his face, “Fuck, you can’t be real. How in the hell did I get this lucky?”

Bucky didn’t reply, not sure he could formulate a response, but if he could manage it, it would have been to say that _he_ was the luckiest guy on the planet, not Steve.

Time lost all meaning as Steve systematically took him apart on the sofa with kisses, caresses and pushing down so hard on him that he was in sensory overload. But it wasn’t all sexual, sure, there was a huge component of them both being stiff as granite and pressing their dicks against each other, the friction maddening, but neither pushed it further. Content to just explore, play and get to know each other with soft conversations in between kisses.

And later on, it was with herculean strength that Bucky managed to disentangle himself from Steve’s octopus-like grip as he dozed on top of Bucky, and checked his phone. The time startling him, it was extremely late, or early, depending on how you looked at it. 

Steve sleepily grumbled against him and Bucky chuckled, not wanting to move, but also wanting to do the right thing by going home and having Friday be their official date night. One that Bucky was most definitely going to be putting out on.

“Hey sleepyhead, I’d better go.”

The way Steve burrowed in further with a soft snort against him started to crumble his resolve, but not completely. Chuckling he poked Steve in the ribs and he startled awake, a small line of drool attaching him to Bucky’s shirt and could he be in love already? No, but it wouldn’t be a hard state to slip into.

“You have to go?” Steve pouted, and yep, it wouldn’t be hard at all.

“Sure do, you have to get up early and since I don’t, I’m going home to sleep until noon.”

At Steve’s grumble he smirked, he had an appointment with his publisher at nine, there would be no sleep-in, but Steve didn’t need to know that.

“I’m glad you asked me to the pub tonight,” Steve said as they stood and stretched, Bucky’s back popping from having a veritable giant laying on him for hours.

“I almost lost my nerve, but same. I’m glad you turned up, Stevie.”

Steve stopped stretching to pull Bucky in by the arm, kissing him deeply and Bucky sighed into his mouth, relaxing into the embrace, and maybe going home wasn’t on the cards.

“I like that,” Steve said as he pulled away.

“Hmmm,” Bucky hummed in question, still lost in the taste of Steve’s mouth, craving more.

“Stevie.”

“Oh,” Bucky said as he fell forward to taste those plush kiss-bitten lips again. Definitely addictive, more so than chocolate. Bucky was officially a lost cause when it came to Steve.

Eventually they made it to the front door, Bucky toeing on his shoes and grabbing his jacket and slipping it on.

“Friday night? I’ll text you the details for dinner?”

Steve nodded in agreement, watching Bucky through hooded eyes, eyes which told a story that they didn’t want to see Bucky leave. When they reached the door and Bucky was hanging back waiting for one last kiss, Steve smirked.

“So the Winter Soldier, you didn’t tell me what happens next?”

Bucky laughed, and kissed Steve goodbye reluctantly, loving the way Steve’s eyes crinkled in the corners as he watched him, “guess you’re going to have to stick around to find out.”

Steve’s face suddenly went serious and he yanked Bucky back by the collar of his shirt and he gulped at the strength and pure ownership behind the move. Lips ghosted his and Bucky sucked in a breath, dizzy with want, desire and almost begged to stay instead, that he’d changed his mind.

“I’m not planning on going anywhere,” Steve whispered against him, before kissing him so thoroughly again that air was no longer an element he required.

The walk home went by in a blur and Bucky wasn’t sure he could wait for Friday night.

  
  
  


Surprisingly enough, Friday didn’t take too long to arrive and before Bucky knew it, he was dressed up, hair in an artfully messy bun (which took longer than if he’d just thrown it up), and jeans Darcy picked out that ‘showed the goods’ so that Steve wasn’t going to be able to keep his hands to himself. Bucky could only hope.

He walked towards the bar he’d selected for drinks and dinner, seeing Steve waiting, leaning against the building, knee bent, foot casually resting on the wall and there was a moment of pure disbelief that this man was waiting for him. Waiting for Bucky. But when a huge grin appeared on Steve’s face as he spied Bucky walking towards him, it hit him. Steve really was there for _him_.

Bucky was soon wrapped up in a warm embrace of hello and kissed so very thoroughly he was about to suggest they skip dinner, but Steve pulled back with a grin.

“Sorry, been thinking about doing that for days now.”

And Bucky was gone. Completely gone on this man.

They entered the bar and were shown to their table straight away, Bucky appreciating the way Steve’s blue shirt stretched taut across his chest when he slung his jacket over the back of his chair. The colour set off his eyes beautifully and in the dim light of their table, Bucky was certain he wouldn’t be able to move his gaze away, not often anyway. 

Steve was such an imposing figure, large and full of life and Bucky basked in the sunshine that radiated off of him, wanting to be a better person all for standing in his shadow. But he wasn’t, not really in his shadow, Steve had begun to carve out a spot _next_ to him so he could stand in the light beside him, and Bucky had never had that before. His work had always overshadowed every relationship he had, but he knew instinctively that Steve would compliment him, and on some level be exactly what he needed, when he needed it.

It was a heady and consuming feeling to have, especially as it was their first date. But they fit, it felt right and why would Bucky ignore that?

“You’re staring,” Steve finally said once the waitress had taken their drink order.

“Sorry, just can’t believe we’re doing this.”

Steve smiled softly, then leant forward as if to tell a secret, and Bucky couldn’t help but mimic the movement craning forward into Steve’s space.

“Either can I,” he said quietly, pressing a quick kiss to Bucky’s lips, “you look gorgeous. And I’m not going to lie, I can’t wait to rip those jeans off you later tonight and taste every inch of your skin, before taking you hard.”

Bucky swallowed the lump in his throat and found it wasn’t going anywhere and he coughed behind his hand. Heat infused every cell in his body, he was on fire. Steve was going to kill him, especially if that glint in his eye didn’t dissipate.

“Steve,” he hissed and couldn’t help but smile at Steve’s deep chuckle. They weren’t close to other patrons, but that wasn’t the issue, the issue was that Bucky was getting hard and his jeans were tight enough it was uncomfortable.

“Yes?” Steve replied with a smirk, “come on, let me have my fun. Honestly, the things I’ve been dreaming about doing to you after seeing you work out in those tight pants of yours.”

“ _My_ tight pants. Seriously, I was touching myself after every session because of your damn shorts and nipple tanks.”

Steve’s eyes darkened at his admission he touched himself, but then his lips quirked up in a smile, “nipple tanks?”

“What else am I supposed to call an item of clothing that showcases your perfectly biteable nipples? You drove me crazy.”

“Seems we both had similar problems. Watching you and Darcy do those stretches together undid me. You were so gorgeous, laughing and being a dork with her, but then when we did the stretches. _Fuck_. You had my number without even realising it.”

Bucky fumbled with his drink, still not understanding how Steve thought all of this about him the whole time. He was breathtaking in his sincerity.

“Do you want to skip dessert tonight?” Steve asked, a dirty promise in his eyes of things to come.

“Absolutely,” Bucky responded without having to think about it.

Yet as much as they were desiring to leave dinner and perform unspeakable acts on each other, it leant to the anticipation, waiting was almost sweeter, each glance, each innuendo heating them both up until they practically squirmed in their seats.

By the time Bucky was unlatching his front door, Steve was plastered against his back, kissing his neck, suckling sweet pains into the skin, and Bucky had already tried to unlock his door three times. It didn’t help that Steve had wandering hands that were currently pressing against the front of his jeans, teasing the hardness that had grown, and Bucky dropped his keys again.

“Come on, Buck,” Steve whined into his ear, “hurry up.”

“God you’re a shit,” Bucky managed to say as he bent down to grab the keys, but of course Steve was right up against him, pushing his hardness against his ass, and Bucky was about ready to leave the keys and let Steve take him in the hallway, giving a big ‘fuck you’ to his neighbours.

He eventually got them inside and Steve’s presence if possible became even more all-consuming. He was larger than life, crowding him against the wall, pinning him so he couldn’t move, thigh pushing between Bucky’s legs creating a friction which tore a pitiful whine from his throat.

Steve continued to rub just so, as his lips started the attack on his neck again and Bucky was a quivering mess in seconds.

“Maybe one night I’ll make you rub yourself on my thigh until you come, won’t let you touch yourself, just make you rut like a dog in heat.”

“Jesus…” Bucky rasped at the imagery and Steve had hit a button, had hit them all so far.

“But not tonight, tonight I’m going to hold you down and fuck into you so hard you’ll scream yourself hoarse for me. That what you want?”

Bucky nodded dumbly, gasping as Steve’s lips crashed into his, their breathing ragged and uneven as they moaned into each other, sharing heat and space. The filthy way Steve promised to take him, lighting up something usually dormant inside of Bucky. Would he even survive one night with Steve? God he hoped so.

Steve leaned back and the look in his eyes was not soft, it was hungry, consuming, full of desire, desire for Bucky. Then his shirt was pushed up, Steve ordering him to hold it aloft as his wide tongue lathed across his chest, taking one nipple in and biting, just the way Bucky had told him he wanted to do. Shaking in need, Bucky knew if Steve wasn’t pressing his body against his, he would have already fallen to the floor in a heap. The sensation of teeth biting into his peck had a direct line to his dick, and when Steve gave his other nipple the same treatment, his deft fingers were undoing Bucky’s jeans, hand snaking in to cup him. 

Throwing his head back against the wall, Bucky cried out as the heat of flames danced across his skin, he was losing himself already, every sense bombarded by Steve, he was all he could see, breath, feel, it was glorious.

Then as Steve started to slowly jerk him, making him wonder if he’d even last a full minute, the hand was suddenly gone and his jeans were peeled down his body, catching at his ankles, unable to be removed as he still wore shoes. 

But Steve didn’t stand as he expected, he stayed on his knees, looking up at Bucky through eyelashes too thick and lustrous for a man, but so very alluring. Bucky still had his shirt rucked up exposing his red, bitten skin, heated from the teeth marks while his pants were stuck around his ankles, completely exposed to Steve’s gaze, hands, _everything_.

Steve leant in again, grazing his teeth up Bucky’s thigh, nipping and trying to force them further apart, almost made impossible due to Bucky’s feet being restricted, so he bent his knees out a little to give access and Steve knew exactly what he was doing. He was purposely putting Bucky in an awkward position so he knew who was in control. 

Bucky had no illusions on who called the shots - at all.

“You’re perfect like this,” Steve whispered against the juncture where his hip and thigh met, and the words vibrated across his skin, soothing any embarrassment he might have been feeling. “Always so perfect for me.”

The words thrummed through Bucky but were soon relinquished as the press of Steve’s tongue against his cock was earth shattering, he couldn’t help the desperate noise that escaped his throat. And of course Steve heard it, and immediately engulfed him, swirling deeply, teasing, sucking, making Bucky want to grab Steve’s head, but he couldn’t. He was still holding up his shirt like he was told to.

They hadn’t even made it further into Bucky’s apartment, than the front door where Steve had jumped on him and for some reason that made his hips jerk into Steve’s mouth, their desire for each other so great they couldn’t even make it more than two steps inside. A huge hand landed on his hip to stop his unconscious movements and he heard a mumbled apology falling out of his mouth, to which Steve popped himself off his dick with an obscene noise.

“Bedroom,” he husked, voice croaky and full of want, “I need you naked, I need to be inside of you.”

And Jesus H. Christ.

Somehow he indicated the doorway he’d find his bed through and Steve just _picked_ him up and carried him there, muscles rippling under his shirt and Bucky most definitely had a kink for being manhandled. A Steve sized kink, which didn’t seem to be going anywhere.

Steve made short work of their clothes, leaving only his tight navy blue shorts on, before grabbing the condom and lube Bucky had left on his bedside cabinet. Bucky lamented not being able to see Steve’s dick for all of two seconds before Steve’s hand was tracing a pattern up his leg, teasing. Steve grinned wolfishly down at him as he splayed and positioned Bucky across the bed to his liking. Bucky enjoyed being more than manhandled too, he fucking adored Steve taking control of him.

“You have more of these?” he held up the condom, “I’m going to need a _lot_ more before I’m done with you tonight.”

“You’re going to kill me, you know. The draw is full of them,” Bucky managed as Steve pushed his legs up, exposing his hole completely to Steve’s gaze, who licked his lips like it was the tastiest thing he’d ever laid his eyes on. God, it was confronting, embarrassing and also the hottest thing anyone had done to him, and he wasn’t doing anything more than looking.

“Soon baby, soon I’m going to get my tongue in there and taste you, eat you out until you’re a crying mess and just keep on going for hours and hours.”

Bucky hid his face in his hands, Steve was too much, this sweet gorgeous man he’d met in the supermarket was taking him apart with mere words, and how in hell had he managed to get so damn lucky to have found someone who just got him, knew exactly what to say to set him off. No one had ever just clicked with Bucky’s brand of desire before, not as completely as Steve already had. And he couldn’t wait to continue to discover their kinks, what made them tick, what they liked. He was suddenly overwhelmed and so very excited for what the future would hold.

“Please,” he managed to strangle out and Steve’s dark chuckle as his lubed up fingers began to trace around his hole, testing, probing and rubbing made his insides quake. “More...”

“Hold your legs up,” Steve demanded and Bucky obeyed straight away, hooking his hands behind his knees, uncaring how he looked, how needy his small noises were becoming. “Higher.”

“Jesus,” he breathed and pulled up further and just as he did, Steve plunged two fingers deep inside and Bucky just about flew up off the bed, crying out and being full, the unexpectedness, the wonderful burn as Steve sat there allowing Bucky to get used to it, rubbing his hand over his thigh comfortingly. Telling him how good he was.

Then Steve began to pump, hard.

The squelching noise of the lube being pushed into him was nasty in the quietness of the room, only his sharp gasps and words of more, deeper, _harder_ punctuating the otherwise silence. And Steve didn’t disappoint, preparing Bucky so thoroughly he could have taken a giant, and maybe he would be - he’d yet to see or feel Steve’s dick.

“Stay just like that,” Steve said as his fingers slipped from him and Bucky was ashamed to hear himself whimper at the loss. “Don’t worry, I’ll be right back, I’ll give you what you need. Okay, sweet thing?”

Bucky nodded, eyes wide as he watched Steve shuk his underwear, muscles perfectly sculptured, the care and time he put into his fitness apparent, but then that last scrap of fabric was gone and _fuck. G_ iant was too generous, but Steve was larger than anyone Bucky had had the pleasure of being with and he couldn’t help the small hip wiggle he gave at the sheer anticipation of having that inside of him, slamming hard into him.

Steve climbed back up onto the bed, walking on his knees towards Bucky and Bucky’s breath hitched in his throat seeing that large cock bob in the air, head weeping already. Then Steve was taking himself in hand, stroking, and Bucky’s eyes flew up to catch Steve’s to find him smirking. The confidence exuding from him was astonishing and Bucky felt a feral noise start in the back of his throat from sheer need. He couldn’t look away as Steve slid the condom over himself, then used a liberal amount of lube, all to enter Bucky, to squeeze into his body, it was almost too much.

But as Steve leaned over him, lining himself up, the head nudging Bucky’s loosened rim, he stopped, reaching down to capture Bucky’s lips in the gentlest of kisses.

“You good?”

Bucky melted, Steve was checking in with him, ensuring everything was still okay and he nodded in return. “Wanted this for too long, Stevie, for you to stop now.”

The grin at the nickname Bucky had used, boyish and out of place with what they were about to undertake, and Steve pulsed his hips and pushed in barely an inch, but it was enough for Bucky’s eyes to flutter close.

“It’s going to get intense, just let me know if you need a breath, okay.”

“Fuck…” Bucky breathed out, enraptured by the words, the thoughts, the imagery that could accompany Steve’s sentence. “I’m ready -”

He didn’t get another word out as Steve slid into him to the hilt, hitting him deep inside, filling him to perfection, stretching him and burning him in only the way a fat dick could. Bucky called out, yelling Steve’s name into oblivion.

Thick arms bracketed Bucky’s head and Steve was there, above him, lips close but not touching, just breathing the same air as Bucky adjusted, as he wriggled and clenched and unclenched to seat Steve’s size better, and the small jerks of Steve’s face as Bucky did these things was mesmerizing. Hands gripping Bucky’s hair, tugging a little and the needy moan torn from his throat couldn’t possibly belong to him.

“You like your hair pulled, hey?” Steve husked, the breath wisping over Bucky’s lips and he nodded in return, making the pull on his hair even more tantalizing. “You really are something else. And you’re _mine_.”

The possessiveness in the words thrilling as Steve started to move his hips, slow and steady, dragging himself in and out, hands still holding Bucky’s head close, he couldn’t move, Steve’s huge frame had boxed him in and he was breathless from it, didn’t ever want to be anywhere else.

Their breaths mingled as Steve stared deeply into Bucky’s wild eyes, the only reason he was still with it was because those blue eyes beckoned him home, kept him in the now and the whole time he kept pushing in and sliding out at a maddeningly slow rhythm. Like Bucky would break.

“Harder,” He moaned into Steve’s lips, their mouths barely touching, needing him to do something… _more._

“I’ve got you, sweetheart.” Steve said leaving the softest kiss to his lips. Then - he moved.

The pace set, brutal, Steve pinning him to the bed, his hips snapping, pushing his cock deeper and deeper with every thrust, dragging out then in over and over until Bucky let go of his entire way of thinking and just let himself feel, just let Steve take his pleasure, grunting and groaning, words of how perfect Bucky was punching out from his throat.

Steve never faltered, never relented and when Bucky called out ‘harder’, he complied with only the barest of growls, doubling down until Bucky felt like a rag doll. Body loose and flopping where it willed, and Bucky was out of his mind, hard as rock and tingling throughout his entire being.

Suddenly Steve sat up on his knees, almost completely unsheathing from Bucky, but before the last inch fell out, he yanking Bucky towards him, until his hips tilted up and then Steve pulled him forward, slamming back in, the new angle drove into him, hitting his prostate with each stroke and Bucky couldn’t help the babbling words leaving his throat.

“God, yes.. harder.. more… Steve, _fuck…_ me, yes _-_ fill me up.” He wasn’t concerned about how needy he sounded, because each word that escaped him in a wanton huff, Steve seemed to get more energy from and the pace increased. 

A huge hand held his hip in place, so that Steve could rail him in that one spot that had him gasping little puffs of air, unable to catch a full breath, but he managed to cry out one word.

“Harder!”

That singular word apparently got to Steve more than any of the others he’d been spewing out and Bucky found himself up off the bed and against the wall, but Steve didn’t face him to it, to plunge deep into him from behind. No he picked him up, elbows looping under his knees, pushing him harshly into the wall so his back hit the surface and he grunted at the contact, Christ, he was floating already.

Then Steve impaled him, pulling him down on each thrust and Bucky’s head hit the wall as he screamed out, Steve’s strength unparalleled as Bucky cried himself hoarse, begging for more, begging for mercy, begging for release.

His back slapped against the wall and he felt each thrust ricochet against the plaster, he didn’t ever want to have sex with anyone else, even Steve’s warning it would get intense had nothing on what was happening. He was a damn porn star, he was lasting the longest time and Bucky was grateful to his toes for it.

Not comprehending how long he was fucked against the wall, but knowing his legs were beginning to ache, Steve threw him on the bed and pulled him to the edge, Bucky was languid and fucked out already, but then one of his legs were pulled up to rest of Steve’s shoulder and he was once again lining up and thrusting deeply and this, this was the position that Bucky knew he was going to come from. It wasn’t the best, it didn’t hit that spot inside, but he could look up into Steve’s sweaty red face, full of desire and lust for him, and that’s what would do it.

The pace once more didn’t slow down, if anything it became quicker as Steve automatically began to go deeper, harder, and then he was jerking Bucky, large hand curled around his dick, stroking.

“Want you to come for me sweetheart, want you to come on my dick. Can you do that. Christ you’re gorgeous.”

Bucky panted and looked up at Steve, “make me come, fuck me harder.”

Steve complied and within moments, Bucky was arching up, unable to keep his eyes open as his cock spurted all up his chest, over his stomach and Steve just kept pumping, until his motions began to falter as Bucky twitched and pulsed around his dick. Steve threw his head back and yelled into the space, his orgasm hitting hard. And Bucky was infinitely glad he’d come moments earlier so he didn’t miss a second of watching Steve come undone deep inside of him.

He was expecting Steve to slump onto him immediately, but he proved himself even more magnificent when he waited a moment, slowly pumping into him as he came down, staring into Bucky’s eyes, smile bright and sated, before pulling out and disappearing, returning with a damp towel from the bathroom and cleaned them up.

Bucky couldn’t actually move, so he was infinitely glad Steve still had energy. Maybe he should look at working out more. Steve wrapped him in the quilt, curling up behind him, stroking his arm, placing soft kisses across his shoulders.

“So, uh, you…” he paused and huffed out a breath which Bucky felt dance across his skin, “you really like it hard, don't you?”

_Jesus,_ Bucky felt a wash of shame pass over him, was Steve not pleased?

“God, I felt you freeze up then, no please dont think… I love it, I fucking adore it.” Steve placated and he felt his heartbeat return to normal, “You’re perfect in every way - more perfect than I ever thought anyone could be.”

“Oh, right…” Bucky was floored. Could Steve be everything he was searching for? And more?

“Just one question,” Steve asked and Bucky turned his head to stare into warm blue eyes, “how do you feel about restraints?”

Bucky died.

  
  


**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **I have a complaint

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** I most definitely don’t

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **No shit

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **<image6857>

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** Is that fucking cocaine????? DARCY????

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **JFC no it’s not you idiot - its plasterboard dust

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **From my wall

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **My bedroom wall…

**OneBuckToRideThisTrain:** oh….

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **yeah - fucking *oh* is right - I have a new product for Steve <image6858>

Bucky cracked up, he was aching all over, but he couldn’t help it, laughing and wincing as everything inside of him attempted to realign. Steve stuck his head back in the bedroom door, holding two mugs of steaming coffee. If he wasn’t perfect before - the fact he’d taken it upon himself to get up and make them coffee in Bucky’s kitchen cemented it.

“What’s so funny?” he asked and passed over a mug with the words ‘the past, the present, and the future walked into a bar. It was tense.’ written down the side. 

“Darcy has a new product that encapsulates who you are.”

Steve chuckled, and climbed back into bed, snuggling immediately up against Bucky, “Oh really? I’m intrigued.”

“She’s not wrong,” Bucky teased and showed Steve the picture.

The joyous laugh from Steve, hitting something deep in Bucky and he realised this glorious man who understood Bucky perfectly - was all his. And damned if he wasn’t going to hold on to him as long as he lived.

“Well, we can’t prove it wrong, can we?”

Then Steve jumped on Bucky, kissing him, hands roaming everywhere and already lost in the sensation, Bucky threw his phone to the floor, the picture of the Energizer Bunny saying ‘it keeps going and going and going...’ on screen.

They missed the next text as well.

**DarcyLewis &TheNews: **Seriously???? You guys are literal fucking rabbits. I’m going out.

  
  


Bucky’s new book was a smash, his readers adored the softer side to the Soldier and the buzz around his childhood best friend, Captain America coming back into his life, skyrocketed the sales and landed him another two book deal. And when he went on his tour across the country, he was accompanied by his own CAP, who looked after him as only he knew how. 

And if Bucky continued to send Steve photos of products that were inappropriate sexual puns, well, who was to judge them.

  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope these two bumbling idiots made you smile :)
> 
> If you're interested in a small snippet that comes a few months later - I may have accidentally written a small snippet on Tumblr [ here](https://kalee60.tumblr.com/post/624469600120242176/subliminal-advertising-snippet-the-rise-of)
> 
> Or read here on ao3 at [ here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25665970)
> 
> check it out if you'd like to see a tiny bit more of these boys 😊
> 
> I'm on the below if you ever want to chat about anything!
> 
> Tumblr -[ kalee60](https://kalee60.tumblr.com)  
> Twitter - @kalee60_


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